Untamed
by Angel of Pandemonium
Summary: In one fell swoop, She'd lost the love of her life and her job. For a while, she just survived... and then, while she was walking home from work, There was someone in front of her apartment waiting for her. Waiting to drop a bombshell bigger than learning that the love of her life was Dr. Oliver Davis, bigger than Eugene's mysterious return from death... She had a grandmother.
1. Prologue

_**Welcome, readers, to my first Ghost Hunt Fanfiction. I hope you enjoy. Angel Of Pandemonium**_

 _ **I don't own Ghost Hunt, though I wish that I did.**_

* * *

 _Prologue_

"Goodbye, Mai." He said, as he stepped toward the terminal for the airplane that would take him back to England. His voice, as usual was calm and placated. Cool. Almost devoid of emotion. She painted on a smile, her heart was shattering again, but she- for the moment- was numb. Bou-san looked over at her, and sighed. He shook his head.

"I'll take you home, Mai." He muttered, putting his hand on her shoulder, ignoring the slight tremor that shook through the girl.

She shrugged. It didn't matter, she thought hollowly. She only had enough to pay her rent for one more month (counting the last month's pay that her landlord had asked for prior to her moving in…). But, she nodded and followed the Monk out of the airport.

When she got home, she stopped, as the realization that Naru- no, Oliver Davis- was not coming back hit her. She stood in the entryway of her apartment. Something broke from her… a barely visible ripple of power ripped away from her body like the start of a tidal wave in the middle of the ocean.

The mirrors and pictures in her house shattered, all glass and porcelain fragmented and broke around her. Furniture hit the walls with a dull thud. She heard a sound that was neither a sob or a moan, but somewhere in between from somewhere in the apartment. It sounds like a wounded animal… she thought dully, and realized that it had come from… herself. She fell to her knees, and then the tears started.

Her world was fractured; distorted and broken. Like her heart.

She sobbed, mourning her heart, and his (though, for the life of her, she did not know why she cared anymore). Furniture, glass, and pieces of porcelain flew around her room like a tornado, she was at the eye of the storm, her misery was the torrent that carried it. She could not breath for the tears she cried, she could not see for the red in front of her eyes, and she could not think for the pure agonized torment that radiated through her body.

Her emotion- charged psychokinesis raged for days, missing two weeks of school.

She hid the wreckage that was her emotional and mental state, if only in public. Though, she knew a few people, teachers, and friends, suspected that something was wrong. And slowly, oh, so slowly, she found that she was able to hide it from her friends from school.

To those closest to her, her eyes were truly the window to her ragged soul. Lifeless, devoid of any emotion. Even Kuroda, the other PK user, had commented, saying that her eyes were the kind of glazed over you only saw on the dead.

She didn't let them know the extent of the damage done to her emotional health, though she knew that they had guessed- especially as windows broke around her at the mere mention of her former boss.

… Yet, for some reason, she could not throw the damn picture away. The one thing that had not been broken during that first night. The picture of the twins that had warped her life. She was empty…. A void of emotion because of them…. Or rather, the younger of the twins…

* * *

 ** _So, there's the Preface. Chapter one is written, so it should be up soon. Read and Review. AOP_**


	2. Falling Apart

_**Here's chapter 1. Now, we find out what has happened to Mai since Naru left. Thanks to those of you who've stuck around.**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ghost Hunt… or Falling Apart (that belongs to Papa Roach)**_

Chapter 1- Falling Apart

 _I'll follow you out of the dark…I tried my way but I keep falling apart!  
I'll follow you, with all of my heart.  
I'm tired of my ways 'cause I keep falling and falling apart_

 _ **Papa Roach- Falling Apart**_

Mai sighed as she walked back home. It had taken her months to find a new job after… after _he_ left. She frowned as the dull ache entered her chest again. She knew that she shouldn't… she should be over it. Over _him_.

But, she wasn't. she knew it… Kuroda knew it… everyone who knew her (and had stuck around) knew it. She shook her head as she entered the tiny, one room apartment. She put the teapot on, and went about making tea and instant ramen for herself, deep in thought.

In her time (six months) of being homeless, she had grown quite a bit, in a way that no one, including her friends at school (who had distanced themselves as well) had thought she would. However, it had more been out of a necessity to keep herself safe, alive, and, (possibly the most important of all to her), innocent.

It had also been to repay those who had saved her first.

You see, dear reader, after the disbanding of SPR, things had gone south for Taniyama Mai. In more ways than one. Not long after _he_ had left back to his home with his brother's body, the train wreck that was her life just kept going. Monk and his band made it big, and though the man who acted as a brother/father to her tried to keep in touch, his own letters had panned and died down.

Masako, who Mai had become oddly friends with had to leave as well, for filming. Mai, who had not wanted to be put in the limelight with the other medium, had opted out, though Masako had asked her to be her partner. Ayako had fallen into familial issues that she could not opt out of (though the Miko tried desperately to), and could barely even contact Mai to say hi.

Yasuhara had gone. Studying abroad, he had told her, and she had taken it to mean what he had hidden from her. He had gone to England as well, to study at Cambridge University. She only had had contact with one person from then on: John.

He had all but dragged her to his small apartment upon hearing that she had been kicked out of her apartment, and had told her rather sternly (which was odd in itself, as the young exorcist was _never_ cross) that she was always welcome to the small guest room.

She had come there every night, but had made herself scarce later, knowing that she could not impose upon John.

One night, as she was walking home from a job interview (that she had known had been a bust), she was attacked.

There had been three of them, and within their leering gazes as their leader undressed her with his eyes (and tried to with his hands), she had seen her fate, which had not been anything that she'd wanted to see.

She had been, for the first time in a _long_ time, scared. She had screamed, as loud as she could. Their leader had backhanded her, but she had not let up, she started struggling, desperate to get away from them. They had laughed.

Until someone came out of the shadows- well, not one, but six. She had recognized one of the faces that surrounded them. Kuroda… she blinked as a rock flew out of nowhere, hitting the man who had been holding her down, _touching_ her, in the temple. He slumped to the side, falling unconscious. She had let out a sob of relief….

And that was when she found her third family.

Her sisters. She had joined a gang, and she was honestly okay with that. The eldest was nineteen- about Yasuhara's age, she thought, as the older girl helped her limp herself to John's apartment (she hadn't been raped, but she had been hurt), and had introduced herself as Nakamori Anna. Who she had later learned had been abandoned by her father, and as a result, her mother was an alcoholic.

The next two had been twins, Masumoto Izumi and Emiko who had run away from an abusive household, followed by Akimaya Lani- who had wanted nothing to do with the father she lived with as he drove her mother away by cheating on her with everything in a skirt. Fujiwara Tohru was the latest (Besides Mai) addition to the group. She didn't speak much, and Mai didn't expect her to.

Three months passed in a fashion, the others trained her to fight, as Emiko and Izumi worked at a dojo, which she had excelled in, surprisingly enough. The seven of them (though not actually recognizing themselves as a gang, so to speak) kept the peace around Shibuya. The rival gangs who tried to cause trouble were dealt with. Quickly and pitilessly.

Mai had become a force to be reckoned with. Both in physical aspects and intelligence. She would never admit it… but every time she would try to slack off, she would hear _his_ voice…. Mocking her again. She was at the top of her class by the time she was done with her second year, and had excelled even more, pushing herself in a way that she never had.

She found herself in a position that she'd never expected… skipping a grade. That had never been in the cards for her… then again, there were many things that she had not thought about like that… her Astral projecting, for one… or any of her psychic abilities, actually.

Or, her sisters of sorts having such abilities as well. Though that was not as important as it didn't change anything, Mai thought, shaking her head as she walked to the usual meeting point. She and Kuroda walked in silence, as both were usually studying as they did so.

Mai felt the odd prick of awareness between her shoulder blades, and turned. Her muscles tensed, as her gut screamed a warning. Kuroda whipped herself around as well, tensing as Mai had. Both waited.

They came out of the ally by a small ramen shop that Mai and Kuroda sometimes went to after school. Sneers marred their faces… one of which was….

Extraordinarily like _his_. She knew that it was not. The eyes were wrong, instead of blue, they were dark grey. His skin was two shades too dark. The leer that he had did not fit that aristocratic face of his. She frowned. scowling as he spoke.

"Two pretty ladies such as yourselves shouldn't be out at this time of night…" his smirk widened as the other one laughed. "Something might happen."

Mai rolled her eyes. "We can take care of ourselves." She responded, as she prepared herself for an attack.

And attack they did. She and Kuroda fought one on one with the two, though Mai knew that she could not actually beat him if she fought fair. She was too small, at too much of a disadvantage. But, she could win, and it wouldn't be pretty.

She went directly for his body's weaknesses, striking the pressure points that she knew would take him out, using two hands as he used one, and used her surroundings to her advantage. Of course, he had gotten his fair share of punches in, Mai felt as if she'd been hit by a truck, and Kuroda was limping.

"So much for job searching today…" the darker haired high schooler grumbled. Mai snorted. "no kidding…" she muttered darkly. She spotted the bookstore/café first and turned to Kuroda. "Fancy a coffee or something?"

"That'd be nice… but..."

"I still have about 60,000 yen." The brunette muttered. "I didn't spend my paychecks as fast as I could earn them." She dragged the equally beaten girl into the café. She wanted a new damn book anyway. She winced as she had to use her injured hand to open the door.

The woman at the desk looked up and gaped. "Oh, kami- sama, what happened to you two? Kyou! Get down here, and bring the first aid kit!" she yelled, running up the stairs. Mai blinked, and Kuroda's jaw was a bit slack, as the woman hurried from around the counter, and sat them both in chairs in the café half of the small store.

Blinking owlishly, Mai took in her surroundings. The place was beautiful. Western style décor covered the place, and a warm looking fireplace crackled merrily, which was great for mid- October. The woman returned, dragging a man behind her. Mai grinned as she saw their wedding rings glinting in the light. "Andy, what the hell is going on here?" he growled. "I was…." He caught sight of the two by then. The first aid kit he carried didn't seem odd to him now.

He frowned as he examined them. The first of the two was also the taller of the two, jet black hair that she obviously kept in braids (which had long since fallen out), pale skin, and deep brown eyes. She seemed to be favoring her right leg- possibly her ankle, he thought, and was holding her bleeding cheek.

The other girl was shorter, and, despite the injuries she had, seemed oddly serene. Her hair was russet brown- the red seemed to be glazed, showing up under the light. Her eyes were cinnamon brown. She was holding her left wrist.

"You were attacked." He stated it as he and his wife bent over to take care of them. The shorter girl shrugged.

"You could say that…." she grumbled.

"Why were you two wandering around?" he growled. Kuroda blinked. "We were kind of job hunting on the way to meet friends." She replied.

Andy was taken aback. She sat back and looked at the girls. "You're looking for jobs?" she asked, her whiskey colored eyes warmed as she smiled. Kyou groaned.

He loved his wife. He truly did, and had since she had first run into him on the glass walk over the Grand Canyon, where he'd met her as he'd taken a trip to America, and then ended up meeting her in Japan (after she'd followed him back). She did, however, have a habit of taking in strays. They had three cats and a dog to prove it.

Though they could use the help….

And he sighed, letting Kuroki Andrea do as she wished. As he always ended up doing.

"We could use some help in the store. It'd be part time… but…"

"We'll take it." Mai snatched up the offer. Kuroda nodded, and the woman beamed, shoving her titan red hair out of her face. "Great, you can start tomorrow. For now, just rest, and tell us about yourselves.

And that was how Mai got her second job.

It was funny, Mai thought as she hung up the phone, how things worked themselves out- in the strangest possible ways, she might add. She frowned as she looked at the phone, tapping her fingers on the table where it stood, thinking.

She was used to ghosts and demons and, hell, even pissed-off gods… what she _hadn't_ known about was the… way things seemingly worked on the other side… because Gene had been brought back to life. She didn't know the full story (she wasn't sure that she _wanted_ to know the full story). From what John had told her, though, he'd been given another chance.

From what she'd heard from Yasu, the fact that Gene's body had not been… decayed (Mai held back a gag) or otherwise disturbed in any way (which had surprised the older student, and had apparently astonished… _him_ ), had been the first step in his… second chance. As had helping her with her visions of the past.

Nevertheless, Gene was back… and that fact alone was nailed into her head when the older medium had called her. To thank her for taking care of his idiot scientist brother, and asked her to give him another chance. She had hung up.

Mai hadn't cried so much since _he_ had left.

Andy and Kyou- who were her next-door neighbors and landlords (and like another set of parents toward her) heard her sobs and came over to comfort her.

That was the second time that some other powers of hers made themselves known. Because she caused a poltergeist. She only knew that it was her because there were no other teenagers- girls or boys- in her apartment complex. The thought terrified her. She put it out of her mind.

She wanted nothing to tie her to SPR, to tie her past back to _him._ It's too bad, really, that life doesn't work that way, because soon after that, she found that she also had PK-LT to add to her growing talents, after she and the others got into yet _another_ nasty fight, which led to her making her opponent beat the crap out of his friend (who was trying to injure Kuroda).

So, the days went for Mai. She started to research. Why, after all these years, had she suddenly developed PK-ST and LT? As far as she knew (which was what _he'd_ told her, she had been a latent psychic as well as a perfect medium (though that didn't start developing until later). She'd always had abnormally good instincts- her SPR family had pointed that out many a time. She was an empath, able to sense another's emotions, be it human or animal.

She hadn't known about the animal part until she'd come across a bunny that had been run over and was dying. That had given her nightmares for a month, complete with vomiting, as she had accidentally made a mental link to the animal, and she knew how it had died… or, rather, how it had felt to get run over.

Much like the Uredo case, she had been subject to being in the bunny's place.

Like her other powers, she shoved this aside completely, and forgot about them. Or, rather, she tried to… unlike her other abilities, however, it would not be ignored. She used them subconsciously.

 _Now, dear reader, we will travel to the present day, where Taniyama Mai's story has just started to unfold…_

 _ **December 17- 20:00**_

They sat in the park, as per usual for the girls after work. They waited, as they always had, for those who would try to cause trouble on their turf. Oddly put, to be sure, as they were not a gang at all. They were, however, rather capable fighters, who did not appreciate having to deal with gang related crimes in their neighborhood.

Shibuya was off limits. It was a safe zone, a no-man's-land of sorts. Switzerland.

Though many of the surrounding area's gangs liked to try and push their luck. Taniyama Mai, who had been waiting just sighed and nodded to the girl beside her. Anna snorted as she stood, a look of contempt on her rather arresting face, as the shadows around the park light seemed to bulge out, revealing a group of about nine.

Their leader smirked, a light sneer on his face as he took in the group of six. He and his boys outnumbered them, something that he'd been aiming for since the first time he had picked a fight with them… and lost.

Mai snorted at the memory, but faded into the shadows herself, knowing that she had to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

"Finally found you…" the boss sneered. Anna's pale eyebrow shot up, feigning surprise. "Oh? And you are?" She asked.

He snarled. "I am Fujirou Kurosaki, bitch. It's time for you to pay!"

"Fujirou… Fujirou… I'm sorry, I can't seem to remember you…. Where did we last meet?" She smirked as she contemplated him, finger on her chin as though thinking.

He let out an enraged scream, and launched himself at her.

Mai would have been worried if it weren't for the fact that Anna knew full well how to take care of herself…. And did so quite beautifully, as she sidestepped lazily, missing her adversary's tackle by a centimeter.

She was not ruffled in the slightest. Mai smirked, as the rest of the group yelled and started towards the two. She, of course, took the second in command (it was only fair, after all, as she, herself was the second in command). She smirked as she stepped out in front of him.

"We should let them alone," she purred, examining her nails delicately. She smirked up at him through her lashes. "They seem to have some catching up to do." He snarled even as he lashed out at her with his fist. She dodged, her own fist slamming into his diaphragm, winding him completely. He fell over, clutching his stomach, and Mai dispatched the next man with a windmill kick, completing it with an elbow to the windpipe when he grabbed her arm, and used his arm to throw him over her shoulder. He choked as he went down, with his back hitting the pavement.

She wasn't worried. He would survive. She looked around, noting that most of the fights were over, one had even been hit over the head with a board, curtesy of Kuroda's PK. Mai cracked a grin at that beautiful usage of her psychic abilities.

She almost wished that she had used hers. It was almost a pity that she was pretending that they didn't exist.

Anna yawned as she looked down at the so-called leader of the whole group, smirking. "Well, have you learned your lesson better this time?"

All that could be heard was a feeble groan. Mai snorted. "That was mean, Anna. Insult to Injury…"

"True, but he attacked us first. We kicked his ass to kingdom come last week… and I get sick of fighting the same people over and over. It's really not fair to the rest of us."

Again, Mai laughed… though this laugh was… dark. Deprecating and dead. Her eyes reflected the numbness that had taken her over at her train of thought on that word. She looked at Anna, who noticed the look and sighed. "Fair is only in Fairy tales. It doesn't exist." She said quietly.

And Anna supposed it was true, after all. If life were fair, her father wouldn't have left… her mother wouldn't have started drinking.

And sweet little Mai certainly wouldn't be an orphan on the streets. But, Anna had to digress… because at least they had each other. They had a family that cared.

 _XXXXX Line-Break XXXXX_

 _ **Cambridge, England- Cambridge University, Society of Parapsychology Research**_

Eugene yawned as he lazed about, leaning back in his chair, waiting for his brother to lose his temper as he let his fourth paper plane that day fly. He smirked as Oliver glared over at him. "Don't you have anything to do…?" the telekinetic growled.n b

Eugene laughed. The one thing that he could count on was Oliver's nasty temper. Though his brother had opened to him more, becoming more comfortable around him since he'd been brought back to life (something that he was rather thankful for, Oliver had never been all that comfortable around his twin before).

As it was now, Oliver was typing up the events of Eugene's… paranormal travels.

"Noll, If I did, I would be doing it, not sitting here, throwing paper planes at you." He smirked when Oliver growled.

"Now, now, what's got Big Boss so angry this time?" drawled yet another voice. Eugene laughed outright at his brother's newest plight- a new colleague of theirs by the name of Yasuhara Osama…. All the way from Japan, studying Parapsychology with them after transferring out of his local university.

For Eugene, it was nice to have a partner in crime, though it wasn't the one he'd been counting on. Oliver had screwed that one up for himself, Eugene reminded himself, though he felt his own ire spark, and his own indigo eyes narrow a fraction.

Oliver could feel it, though. As he always had, and his face jerked up to his brothers from looking at his black notebook. Eugene quickly wiped his face and mind of all negative emotion. Yasuhara, who was used to such exchanges between the brothers ignored it completely.

"So… does your… err… benefactor have another job for us?" he asked Eugene.

"Nope. He's already got someone who takes care of the demonic problems, so I'm kind of just backup for him and his team… though some funky stuff's been going on since that guy kind of turned out to be half-demon himself… I still don't get how that happened, completely. Something about suppressed genes?" he frowned, and cast a glance at his brother. "Noll probably would have understood."

Yasuhara nodded sagely. "Yes… because Naru knows all…" he drawled. Oliver growled. "I'm sure that I told you to never call me that again, Yasuhara-san…" he snarled. Eugene snorted.

"Yeah, Yasuhara-san, because the only one allowed to call him that is in Japan..." he drawled, deliberately poking into his brother's sore spot…

Oh, he knew all about Mai's confession to his idiot brother, as well as Oliver's…. Not answer, he though… no… it was more of an evasion. That was a good word for what Oliver had done. The barb had the desired effect, however, when Oliver let out a low hiss. "Gene…"

Eugene's face was a mask of innocence as he went on.

"Hell, she probably has a boyfriend now…." He purred, eyes sliding over to his brother, who had started glaring. Eugene smirked as he felt his desk tremble under him. His teacup rattled as did his brothers. The books in the shelves seemed to be shivering, as well. He continued on.

"Maybe she's engaged. Pretty girl like that…."

" _Eugene!_ " Oliver barked. "Knock it off."

"Oh, come off it, _Naru_." He suggested, grinning at his brother as Yasuhara started to whistle as he turned right back around and walked out.

"I wasn't here…" he muttered, passing by Lin as the tall man made his way toward the ruckus that the twins were making.

 _XXXXX Line-Break XXXXX_

 _ **Shibuya- Tokyo, Japan- three days later**_

Mai yawned as she walked home from work…. And another fight. Part of her wondered when she'd ever be done. Exhaustion was foremost in her mind. "Guess it's true, what they say, Kuroda," she muttered to her friend. "There isn't any rest for the wicked."

"I hardly think that you qualify for that, Mai." The darker haired girl drawled. "Because if _you're_ wicked, then what does that make the rest of us?"

"What do you mean, Kuroda?"

"You're about as evil as that exorcist friend of yours." Kuroda snorted. "And he's got to be one of the sweetest, kindest, most patient and understanding souls that I have ever met. Besides you." Mai gave a sideways glance at the other girl, and smirked.

"I think someone has a _cru~ush,_ " she said in an annoying sing-song voice. To which Kuroda blushed. "I- I do _not_." She defended, glaring.

Mai laughed.

They came to the point where Kuroda usually turned left to get to her own house, but she stopped. "Do you think you can help me with the English homework?" she asked her friend. "I know its late… but I didn't do it, and you're better than me with this." She said. Mai grinned and nodded. "Sure." She replied.

The smile disappeared from Mai's face, however, when they rounded the corner. There was a man at her door. She stiffened, a low growl escaping from her throat as she went on defense. That was _her_ space.

Kuroda sighed. It wasn't the first time Mai had done something like this. Since her instincts were a bit more animalistic (Kuroda snorted at the thought), she tended to like her own space (or, at least, that had been the case since last year, after… SPR). Though, that wasn't the only difference, Kuroda had noted.

Mai had gotten a bit more territorial, sure, but had also become a bit more… feral would be a good word to describe it. She was ridiculously protective over them- much like a mother wolf with her pups. That had been something that the girls teased her about, but they all adored it.

The man was wearing a suit, and looked rather proper. He was also rather tall (taller than the average Japanese man, Kuroda noted), and ridiculously handsome, as well. His black hair was parted on the side, not quite covering his right eye, eyes that Kuroda could see were an odd shade of green- grey. Kuroda's eyebrow shot up from behind her glasses, and she cocked her head to the side. Was this guy from child services or something? She wondered.

Another question popped into her head of its own volition, and it was one that Kuroda did not want to look too much into- how old is he? He couldn't be more than 20, right?

"Taniyama Mai," he spoke as Mai walked to the door, right in front of him. "Yes," She answered tersely, frown still marring her face.

"I am Shuruki Takeshi. I have something to discuss with you… it is a matter of great importance."

Mai hesitated. "Of course, come in." she said, holding the door open for him and Kuroda. "Can I get you some tea?"

"I'm afraid that we do not have the time for that, Taniyama- san." The man said. Mai's eyebrow shot up now, and she cocked her head to the side. She cast a sidelong glance at Kuroda and then back to the man- Shuruki- san, Kuroda corrected in her mind.

"Alright, then, Shuruki-san. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I was sent to find you by my employer, Momohara Megumi," he began. Kuroda cut him off then, the name striking a chord in her memory. "Momohara? Isn't that the family that got really wealthy during the Meiji era… something about melting down swords to use them for something else…?"

"Yes. That would be the one. The Momoharas dabble in quite a bit more than that, though… I couldn't name all of what they do…"

"So, why would Momohara-san be looking for me?" Mai asked softly, and though her instincts told her to run, she did not.

"She sent me to find you because you are her granddaughter."

There was no sound from either girl. Mai blinked owlishly, confusion on her face. "There has to be a mistake, Shuruki-san. My mother told me that both sets of my grandparents were dead."

"Momohara Matsuri was disowned by Momohara-san." Shuruki-san replied. "It is quite possible that your mother told you that her parents were dead because of that. She also changed her name after leaving home, taking your great-grandmother's maiden name."

"I am _so_ confused right now…" Kuroda muttered.

"And she _just_ sent you to find me?" Mai asked quietly, "After all this time?"

Shuruki was silent for a few minutes before he spoke slowly. "She sent my predecessor to look for your family after she heard of your birth, then me, after he retired. Both of us had orders to watch, but not interfere, and report to her."

"And after my mother died…?" Mai's voice was calm, oddly so, Kuroda thought, for the fury that had started to invade the other girl's veins, which made the room a bit warmer than it had been. "Mai," she muttered, "You're projecting…"

Mai ignored her, still focused on the man in front of her. Shuruki sighed. "Even then. Neither of us agreed with it. Especially after your mother's death."

Mai shook her head, trying to rid herself of the anger. "Why now, then?" she asked.

Shuruki winced. "Your grandmother is dying. She's in the hospital. She sent me to find you, because, as the last… Momohara, you are the sole successor."

"Oh, and she asked to see me? After all this time? _She wants to see me when she's on her death bed?!"_

' _Ah, there it is,'_ Kuroda thought, as the table that they sat at trembled. Shuruki-san winced on her behalf. "You don't have to tell me that, Taniyama-san. I understand. Where I in your shoes, I would be beyond pissed off as well." He said it quietly. "We can't change the past, however. If you would come with me, we will go to the hospital to see your grandmother."

Mai stood. "Fine. I'll go." She snapped.

Shuruki-san sighed, looking rather relieved. "Thank you, Taniyama-san." He said it quietly. Mai nodded, but said nothing.

It took 45 minutes to get to the hospital where Shuruki-san had told them that Mai's grandmother was at. It was a silent drive, for the most part, though Kuroda wanted desperately to talk to the young man that seemed to serve as Mai's grandmother's butler, she felt that it could be done later.

Mai didn't know what to think… so, she didn't think at all, letting the odd buzzing noise in her head (that had started when she'd seen Shuruki-san at her door) take over, keeping her mind blissfully blank, and her emotions completely numbed for the taxi ride there.

Neither Kuroda, nor Shuruki-san tried to talk to her, for which she was grateful. The hospital itself seemed oddly familiar- though Mai knew that _she'd_ never been there- the hospital she usually visited was on the north end of Shibuya, and this was at the East end.

The butler (Mai couldn't help but grin to herself at the thought) led them up to the front desk, where the receptionist asked them who they were there to see. "Momohara Megumi. Room 27."

The woman blinked, taken aback. "And… are any of you _related_ to Momohara-san?"

At this, Mai stepped forward. "I'm her granddaughter." She replied. The receptionist nodded and let them pass. Upon entering the room, Mai's eyes fell on the bed.

She was small- Mai was surprised at just how small she was, especially when one considered just how powerful the woman was supposed to be, how many businesses she had stock in.

This influential woman was sick, waiting for death in a hospital bed. Mai was staggered at the brutally blunt effects of mortality. Her body was shrunk from the illness that had consumed her, and her skin seemed to have a green tint to her already ashen complexion

The woman's eyes had opened upon their enterance, and though she was cripplingly weak and sore, she still sat up, an air of authority surrounded her.

Her eyes, which were the same color of cinnamon brown as Mai's, were sharp and shrewd. Her hair was white, thick, and long, tied back in a loose ponytail that reminded her of Ayako when she'd do her cleansings. The silky looking strands belied her state of health.

Momohara Megumi was as alert as ever, though, as she cast the young man in her employ a cool look. "You have brought my granddaughter to me?" Her voice was cracking, but that did nothing to conceal the sharp tone. It did not sound like a question. Mai's eyebrow shot up.

"He did." Mai spoke, "I'm Taniyama Mai." She sounded defiant- even to her own ears. Megumi chuckled. As did the other man in the room. Mai had not noticed him upon walking in, not until he laughed. He looked quite a bit older, grey had appeared at his temples thrown into sharp relief against the black of the rest of his hair, and he wore, Mai noticed, a business suit.

 _Lawyer_. Her instincts told her. Megumi sighed. "My time runs short… I should not have waited so long."

"No…" Mai drawled, ire in her tone. "Maybe you should've tried to contact my mother after my father died." Megumi sighed, but Mai did not stop, the thick cynicism in her tone made Kuroda flinch. "Or even," she hissed, "after your _daughter's_ death."

The lawyer blinked. "Young lady, your grandmother-"

"Was in perfect health when my other died. And yet, I was told that my grandparents were dead. She did not try and contact me at all, leading me to believe that I had no family. Who _does_ that to their grandchild? To their _Child_?"

The man opened his mouth again, but Megumi's hand shot out, stopping him from speaking, and turned to Mai. A self- deprecating smile took over the older woman's face. "I suppose I should tell you that your mother's _marriage_ was the reason that I disowned her in the first place. I did not want her marrying someone like _us_ let alone a _foreigner_ like us. I knew that any child that they had would have far more trouble as an adult than even I had."

"What does that even _mean_? And _really_? You _abandoned us over that_?!" Mai yelled, indignation growing.

Megumi sighed. "I am not saying that it was right. I am not making excuses. I will tell you that I immediately regretted my decision…" She smiled again. "You were so small… and already so gifted from what I was told." She sighed. "But, I was old, and stubborn. I did not apologize or ask your mother to come back. When your mother died, I could not seek _you_ out, though that was out of fear."

Mai frowned, Megumi waited. Finally, her granddaughter spoke. "I understand." She smiled wryly. "I suppose that I may have gotten the same stubborn streak…"

The older woman seemed to relax. She let out a sigh and a slight smile took over her face. She paused before speaking once more. "Your mother and father took my mother's maiden name after they married." She said. "your father was a foreigner- as I mentioned before- from Ireland. His surname was Sullivan- I believe."

"Wait, so my name should be Sullivan Mai?"

Megumi roared with laughter at the surprise in Mai's voice. "Yes." She said. Kuroda snorted. "Lovely…" she snickered. Even Shuruki-san cracked a smirk at the though.

Megumi let her laughter die to chuckles before speaking once more. "Moving on," she sighed, looking at the lawyer, "I need you to sign these papers, Mai. It will name you sole heiress to all that I own.

"But…"

"You are my granddaughter. I am dying. I cannot hand all that I won over to anyone else." She said as the man took out a stack of papers. "you only have to sign it once. The papers just go over what you will be inheriting."

Mai nodded and looked at the papers, and Shuruki-san handed her a pen. She signed the papers and handed them back to the lawyer. "It's done." She said softly. Megumi chuckled.

"As am I." she murmured. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Ah, time for me to rest…" she cracked her eye open one more time, looking at her granddaughter. "You're so beautiful now, my dear. So strong… stronger and more powerful than you know…. Don't _ever_ change…" she chuckled again. "Your father's family is alive as well… though I do not know why he did not speak to them."

One more pause and then she chuckled again. "Your abilities are only just beginning to show… Takeshi will help you with them when the time comes."

Mai nodded.

Megumi fell asleep, a small smile on her face, and Mai saw her grandmother's soul as it split from her body, changing from an elderly, small, and warn woman to a young woman of about twenty. Her hair was dark, like Mai's mother's had been.

In fact, the only thing that differed between Megumi and her late daughter was that Megumi looked younger than that.

She winked at Mai and was gone. Floating towards the light.

Mai giggled, wiping tears out of her eyes. Kuroda grinned. The girl always did that when she saw a spirit departing peacefully.

Neither noticed the doctors trying to resuscitate her until the last of the golden and white light disappeared. When it did, Mai looked around. She went up to her grandmother's doctor, and coughed to get her attention. When the woman looked at her she shook her head. "She's gone." She said it simply. The doctor blinked and looked at Mai. She nodded and turned to stop the others.

When the room was cleared out, she turned back to the remaining men. Kuroda stepped out, knowing that her friend wanted to take care of this herself. Mai spoke. "I…suppose that I should ask if there was a specific place that my grandmother wanted her ashes?"

"By your mother and father, Taniyama- san." Mai nodded. "Alright." She replied. "S-should I arrange that, then…?"

"I will, Taniyama-san." Shuruki-san said it softly.

"Mai… please… call me Mai." She muttered. "I mean… I don't like being called so formally- especially since we'll be living in the same house…"

"Mai-San then." Shuruki-san said it calmly. Mai sighed and shrugged. That would probably be the best that she got for now…

"Are you taking me home, then?" she asked, looking up at him.

The young man smirked as he shook his head. "I'm taking you to your apartment to get your possessions tomorrow, Mai-San. I'm taking you to your grandmother's house- your new house- tonight."

Kuroda gaped, and Mai looked over at her, pleadingly. "Come with us…?" She asked. "We still need to work on your English homework…"

Kuroda nodded wordlessly as her friend sighed in relief. They'd have to tell the others soon…. Mai looked at Shuruki-san and sucked in a breath. "Okay, then, Shuruki- San, take us to the house…"

He chuckled as he opened the door of the hospital room. "After you, Mai-San."

"Could we drop the 'san', please. Just Mai."

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge, England- Davis Estate_

The hallway made his footsteps all the louder, which, on a normal day, would not have bothered Oliver in the slightest…. If not for the fact that he had a raging headache that had been brought on by a combination of research, idiots that he had to deal with while _trying_ to research…

And, of course, the nasty one that had been brought on by Eugene, who was insistently taking shots at him over Mai. Yasuhara hadn't been much help, either, which Oliver was starting to get rather annoyed at.

Eugene's _favorite_ potshot seemed to be how Oliver had handled Mai's confession.

"It's funny," he'd quipped, "How you asked her if it was yourself or me, and then decided to run away from Japan… without waiting for her answer…"

To which Oliver would always reply: "I already knew her answer, Gene."

This was usually followed by an undignified snort from the elder twin. Of course, Oliver studiously ignored him, continuing to write, and hoping that Eugene would leave him alone.

Oliver walked into his family's library and grabbed the book he'd been reading for research off the shelf and sat in one of the many chairs. His temper took a dark turn. How was it his fault that he had shown Mai the truth of the matter- that she'd fallen in love with Eugene, _thinking that it was him_?

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

Mai felt a mix of amazement and horror as they approached the driveway of her… 'house'.

Which wasn't a house at all, the girl thought wildly. It was a _mansion_. A gigantic, western style _mansion_ with more rooms than any apartment complex she'd ever seen. It was bordering on a _castle_ with how ridiculously huge it was.

Momohara Megumi must have used her clairvoyance for business to get a house this size (though, in retrospect, she could just have been _very_ business savvy). Mai wouldn't have put it past her. If Shuruki-san had noticed her complete and utter horrified awe, he said nothing as he led Mai and Kuroda to the house.

Both girls were gaping as they entered the entrance hall, as if she were a tourist visiting one of the many castles and halls in Europe. To her, her new home was just as grand…. And just as terrifying.

"Ho. Ly. _Shit_." Kuroda whispered beside her. Shuruki-san coughed at Kuroda's language, and Mai turned just in time to see the other girl's flush.

"Sorry…" she muttered, embarrassed by her own crass language. Mai shrugged. "If you're going to apologize for every time you curse, I don't think that it'll mean very much…" she said idly, almost as if she was in a trance. Shuruki-san chuckled, making Kuroda blush harder.

"I… just …. I didn't think that it'd be so _big_ ," the darker haired girl muttered. Mai laughed.

"Yeah… or filled with priceless vases and art… it's like a museum…"

"Pretty sure those are Irish lace doilies under those Ming- Dynasty vases…." Kuroda muttered, and Mai couldn't help but wince. This was something that… _he_ would be accustomed to, she was sure… but Mai was born and raised in a middle- income house, and until her mother died, stayed there. Then, she was an orphan, with a low income (as she'd had to work).

She wouldn't be used to this for a long time, if ever. "It's… a _lot_ to take in, I know," Shuruki-san drawled as if reading her mind, resulting in making Mai jump. "But, eventually, you'll get used to it. Mai snorted.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Shuruki-san." She muttered. The man chuckled.

"Takeshi! You're _back_!" Another female voice sounded. Mai blinked, and Kuroda winced as a middle-aged woman rushed down the stairs. Her crow- black hair was tied in a low ponytail, and her dark eyes sparkled a she saw the two girls in the hall.

"Oh, I see you found her…" she grinned

"I never _lost_ her." Shuruki-san muttered.

The woman turned to the girls. "I'm Shuruki Sakurako, the housekeeper." She grinned. "And Takeshi's aunt."

At that, Mai gaped, "You don't look like it…" Sakurako laughed. "Thank you, Mai- I can call you that, right?"

"I'd prefer it, actually." Mai said, the beginnings of a smile started on her face. Sakurako reminded her of Madoka, vivacious and spunky.

She did not notice Kuroda's soft sigh of relief as the woman grinned and hugged Mai. "You're as pretty as I thought, with your grandmother's eyes…" she murmured.

"Sakurako… I think you're strangling her… Maybe you should let her go…" Shuruki-san drawled.

 _ **So, I've decided (Since I'm really lazy) that I'm only going to put the line break that's on FF between the beginning notes and ending notes. As always, Read and Review. I love hearing what you guys think. Also, in this, John is not a priest. He is an exorcist, but he didn't become a priest. Priests can't have romantic entanglements…. And this story's gonna be full of them.**_

 _ **AOP**_


	3. Pros and Cons

_**I'm back! And with more confusion and family to add to the mix! Enjoy. AOP**_

 _ **I don't own the song- that's owned by Fall Out Boy. I don't own Ghost hunt. That belongs to Fuyumi Ono. I DO own all of the OC's.**_

* * *

 _Chapter 2- Pros and Cons_

 _I wish that I was as invisible as you made me feel._

 _I want to hate you half as much as I hate myself._

 _Know that I could crush you with my voice._

 _~ Fall Out Boy- Pros and Cons of Breathing_

It took weeks, but Mai did indeed get used to her new home. However, heiress or not, she still worked at the little bookstore/café. She couldn't just stop because she had money now. In fact, she bought stock in the store, thereby helping Andy and Kyou.

They saw a significant increase in customers… so many that Andy had to hire more help on. The woman was ecstatic. And Mai was certain that Kyou had smiled like a loon at the fact that his wife was so happy- not that he had the grin when the girl had looked.

Because of that, Mai and Kuroda found that they had a bit of extra free time, which they joined a cram school, to get into the local university- which, by some serendipitous turn of fate had started to offer Parapsychology courses as a major.

Mai and Kuroda immediately signed up for them upon being accepted into the school, and were soon followed by Emiko, Izumi and Tohru, who all had some sort of psychic ability. Anna was going to law school, and Lani was taking over the family business, which surprised Mai, as it was her father's business.

Now, with graduation in three months' time, the four had decided that they would room together in the mansion, saving on money from living in the dorms. The problem- for Mai, at least, who was double majoring in Parapsychology and Criminal Justice and minoring in Psychology (her empathic abilities demanded that), she'd have to quit the job at the bookstore…

Though that wasn't an issue, as she also had a full ride scholarship, she still loved working there. She'd have to think on it.

As it was, Kuroda was already there, had been since she'd turned eighteen, though Mai had the sneaking suspicion that it was more due to the fact that the dark- haired girl that had become her best friend wanted to get closer to a certain… someone in the mansion.

She had no time to think about that yet, though. At the moment, she was setting up a room for yet another housemate, a transfer student to the University, who was studying parapsychology as well, from America by the name of Psyche Mallory.

She was taking a break from said activities, sipping some tea, when Sakurako found her. Mai gave a start because the usual smile that the older woman wore had been replaced. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "There's someone asking for you, Mai. She's downstairs in the foyer." Mai nodded and put down her tea.

"O…kay…." Mai said slowly, a thoughtful frown on her own face. "I'll... head down there now, then."

Nothing short of her former boss standing in the entryway could have surprised her more, Mai thought, than the sight that waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. She was openly gaping at the girl.

Her hair was a bit longer (Mai's now reached the middle of her back), but was the same color- same red lowlights and pale highlights as Mai's was. Her height, build and bone structure were also the same… in fact, if it weren't for the fact that this girl's eyes were a bright and startling silver, Mai would have thought that she was looking into a mirror.

"Are you Mai Taniyama?" she asked, her Japanese seemed to be accented in the same way that Mai vaguely remembered her father having. Mai nodded, still in shock. "I am…"

"Do… you speak English? This is hard to explain, and I'm not sure if I can do it accurately- or adequately- in Japanese."

"Whoa, Mai, I didn't know that you had a sister… or a twin for that matter…" another voice joined in, and Mai turned to see Tohru standing there, a can of soda in her hand. "I don't, Tohru…" she said. The redhead blinked.

"I'm… her cousin…" the girl said slowly, as if trying to find the right way to explain, and was finding that difficult. Which, Mai supposed, was understandable.

"Long lost family coming to find me… that's been happening a lot in the last year…" she mused. "Who's dying this time?" Tohru snorted. "I'll leave you to it, then." She drawled, heading back up the stairs. Mai rolled her eyes before turning back to the girl.

"To answer your question," She said, switching to English, "I'm fluent in English. My mother taught me, and my father taught her."

"Uncle Damien taught Matsuri to speak English then… hm, your accent makes sense then." At Mai's raised eyebrow, she grinned and then said, "You have an Irish accent when you speak. Same as me." The girl grinned.

Mai rolled her eyes. "I'm aware. My English sensei has found it amusing." Mai paused. "What's your name?"

"Anabelle Fitzgerald." She said promptly. "My mother is your father's sister." Mai's eyebrow jumped up. "Okay... Why now, after all this time?"

Anabelle shrugged. "I… don't know. That is something to ask my mother. I didn't even know that I had a cousin until last week when Mom asked me to find you while I was in Japan."

She snorted. "I was coming here to go to the university…. I hear it's got a parapsychology program… and I wanted…. To get as far away from him as possible…" she muttered that last part, but Mai heard it anyway. She cocked her head to the side.

"Who's him?" she asked, switching back to Japanese. Anabelle flinched and muttered "Nothing…" under her breath. Mai sighed.

"You're planning on studying Parapsychology?" She asked. Anabelle grinned. "Yeah."

Mai laughed. "Welcome to the club…Were you planning on living in the dorms?"

"Actually, no. I was figuring I would apply to live with a host family… I thought it'd be cheaper."

"That is true… but, you don't need to apply. You can stay here. You are my cousin, and as you see, I have plenty of room."

"Wait…" Anabelle froze, frowning. "How do you know that I haven't been lying?"

A wolfish grin spread across the young woman's face as she studied Anabelle. "My instincts. I can tell when someone's lying to me. I've never met someone that has been able to lie to me." Not even… him. She thought. He'd never lied to her about anything- besides his name and his smile. She'd felt the prickle of nerves signaling the lies when he'd introduced himself, that day, two years ago in the classroom.

She just hadn't known what it had meant, though she'd been suspicious of him for a long-time afterword… even while she was falling stupidly in love with him.

"Believe me," she continued, "If you had been lying, I would have let you stay here anyway… but I'd also have done everything I could to figure out the truth."

Her cousin seemed taken aback by that statement. After a few seconds, though, she nodded. "Yeah. I guess that would have been fair…"

"Not fair, smart." Mai said as she turned toward the stairs. "Follow me, I'll show you to a room, where you'll be staying." She said. "I'm expecting another housemate, so I hope you don't mind a crowd."

"How many people are living here?" Anabelle asked. Mai grinned. "Myself and you included there are going to be ten. Shuruki Sakurako is the housekeeper, and her nephew Shuruki Takeshi is the…but…ler…hm… actually, Shuruki Takeshi is the one who does everything but his aunt's job and cook… that's left up to Torado Goro, our cook. The three of them live here, too. Of the other seven, Kuroda already lives here, Masumoto Izumi and Masumoto Emiko are moving in next week. They're twins, Tohru already lives here as well, as you saw. The last of us is an American exchange student to the University who's studying Parapsychology as well. Her name is Psyche Mallory."

"Wow, that's a bunch of people…"

"And it won't even fill one-tenth of the rooms here." Mai snorted.

"When is this Psyche girl supposed to arrive?" Anabelle asked. Mai shrugged. "Next week. I was helping Sakurako get ready."

"Does she get a choice in rooms?"

"You do, too. Everyone did." Mai smirked. "Kuroda chose one of the rooms on the main floor…"

"Why?"

Mai's smile told a different tale than the one that she told her cousin. "I have no clue." She drawled. "You'd have to ask Kuroda…"

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England_

Eugene looked up from his paper suddenly, as if remembering something. "Hey, Noll, there's some new 'recruits' joining us today from Ireland. Dad told me to tell you…."

Oliver frowned, not even bothering to look up from his own work "Really? Why?"

"They're twins, like us. Adrian and Finbar. From Ireland. Apparently, Adrian's a bit like you…" he smirked. "He didn't seem so happy after a call from home. In fact, I believe that poltergeist activity happened. It was rather interesting to watch… especially when compared to yours. His only affected people around him. He has PK-LT."

"Hm…." Oliver wasn't paying too close attention to what Eugene had been saying, so the elder of the twins frowned. "I caught the gist of it… sounded like someone that he cared about left… to do something that may have turned out really stupid and really dangerous…"

Oliver looked up then, dark indigo eyes capturing his brothers'. "What the bloody hell are you getting at?"

Eugene shrugged innocently. "I'm not 'getting at' anything, Noll."

"If this is a crack about how I handled the situation with Mai…"

"If she ran away from you what would you have done, Noll? Stayed back and let it happen?" he snorted. "I don't think so… Your ego couldn't handle it. You'd have gone after her, no matter her reasons, and would have _dragged_ her ass back."

Oliver said nothing, choosing to ignore his brother, though he knew that he was correct. Eugene didn't need to know that.

"Bloody idiot, that's what she is…" a dark, grumbling voice met the Davis twins as they walked to the main lab. A young man with green eyes and brown hair was pacing, while his twin (who looked the same, though his hair was shorter) sat in a chair, watching impassively.

"I don't know what you expected, Adrien…. You handled the whole situation… poorly." He drawled, sipping a cup of tea.

"Shut it, Finn. At least I don't go gallivanting off to the other side of the fucking world."

"She said that she wanted to get away." Finn retorted. "And whose fault was that, again?"

A wordless snarl met the question.

"And doesn't that sound oddly familiar…" Yasuhara drawled, from beside Eugene. The older twin snickered. "Doesn't it just…"

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Tokyo Japan- Momohara mansion_

Two months passed by quickly. In that time, Psyche Mallory, the American exchange student, had arrived. Mai was surprised to hear that the girl would be trying to earn not her first, but her third doctorate in the parapsychology program.

She had a doctorate degree in linguistics and history, as it was, she had said as much with a sheepish grin, in perfect Japanese. Mai chose not to look too far into it, as they had too much to deal with at that point, anyway. School had started up, and the workload was worse than anything the girls had seen in high school.

The parapsychology classes seemed to be no more than a joke to many of the students who attended- as well as the professors- many of whom didn't seem to give a crap about teaching them anything useful at all.

Nevertheless, Mai and her housemates all participated in the classes, and somehow managed to sneak some things in. When questioned by their professors, they let Mai handle it. As she actually _had_ experience and background in the paranormal field, she managed to put them in their places.

However, it seemed as if they were fighting a losing battle, which Mai hated.

It was Sakurako who had come up with the idea… and it was an idea that, although Mai loathed entirely, seemed to be their only option.

Using her grandmother's influence to get better professors (who wanted to teach the subject for something other than a free paycheck) in the program. Actual researchers… and spiritualists who would come in for talks. People who dealt with the unknown and with spirits on a daily basis.

To do that, however, they would have to throw a… and Mai had gone green at the idea…. Gala. Even thinking of it was enough to make the young woman gag. However, it had to be done, and she knew someone who might be willing to help.

Quite a few actually.

Which was how Mai ended up on the phone, talking to Matsuzaki Ayako. Or, at least, on the phone with her maid, waiting for Ayako to answer the phone.

"Hello?" the familiar voice came through the line, and Mai felt herself relax. "Hi, Ayako. Nice to talk to you again."

There was a pause for a few seconds as Ayako figured out who it was, and then gasped so loudly that Mai could hear it, before answering. "Mai? Is that you?"

"It is, Ayako. How are you doing?"

"Holy shit- sorry, it's just been so long. Oh, god. How are you? Where are you? I went to your apartment, but they said that you'd moved… and oh god, are you okay?"

The words came out in a rush, but Mai didn't care, she was too busy grinning like a loon at the sound of the Miko's voice. "I'm fine. I've moved. It's a long story, dealing with relatives that I didn't know that I had."

"You will tell me." The redhead commanded. Mai smirked. Same old, same old.

"Later, I promise. We should catch up. Anyway…. I have a favor to ask…."

"What's that?"

Mai took a deep breath. "Okay, so, I'm majoring in Parapsychology at Tokyo University… it's a rather new course, and its… well, it's kind of a sham. The professors don't want to even teach anything. It's a total joke. We need new professors, and to do that… I've got to…" she winced as she trialed off. "It's part of that long story I told you about, so, long story short… my grandmother was, until about three months ago, alive and well. Her name was Momohara Megumi."

She heard another gasp over the phone, and knew that Ayako knew exactly who that was…. And what that meant. "My parents knew her quite well." She murmured. "it seemed that she didn't have any children…"

"She disowned my mother…again, part of that long story I can't get into. Anyway, because of the farce that is the Parapsychology program, I'm holding a gala… to find new professors… and people willing to come in and talk- spiritualists."

"And were you going to invite me?" Ayako drawled.

"Of course." Mai returned. "And Masako, if she wants to." She muttered. "Actually, the only one I'm not calling is Yasu… but that's because he wouldn't be able to make it… being in England and everything…"

"And… him? Or, them, I should ask…"

"Do you think I should? I mean… they are pretty big names…"

"Would you feel comfortable with that?"

"Not really… but…"

She let it hang. Ayako got the gist. "I'll be there, Mai. Just give me the date…"

"Next Monday." she said. "It's the best I could do… Sakurako… she invited all of the people that my grandmother would have called already. I'm just following up."

"See you Monday night, then. I can't wait."

After that, Mai called Masako- who wanted to, but couldn't make it, as she was on a shoot in America; Monk, who was able to come, and had joyously told Mai that he'd see her there; and John, who agreed to come as well, as a favor to an old friend, though he was back in Australia, and her parapsychology classmates.

She hadn't known, and would not know, that Sakurako had in fact, invited the Davis family from England, though, regretfully, they wouldn't be there. (Sakurako had thought that was a shame, but there was nothing to be done about that).

The next thing to do- actually, the last thing to do, was to get ready. As it was a memorial for her grandmother (or, at least, that was one of the reasons that Mai was doing this), and as it was for school in a field that Megumi had wanted to see happen in the first place, it was imperative to dress appropriately.

For Mai, that meant wearing a color that she tried very hard to stay away from. Black. As this was a formal event, she let herself (and her cousin and friends- including Psyche) be dragged around to various boutiques and dress stores by Sakurako- the only one of them who actually knew the protocol for these events.

The six young women all groaned and whined as they were forced to try out dress after dress- until Sakurako was satisfied. Of the six, Mai, Psyche and Anabelle were the ones who had to try on the most. By the time they got back to the mansion, they went to their rooms and passed out.

Sakurako went to the kitchen to share a pot of tea with her nephew.

Takeshi snorted as she recounted the day of shopping and manicures, and appointments for hair for the next night. "God, you could not pay me enough to be female…" he snickered. "I suppose Mai complained the most. You know how she doesn't like doing things like this…"

"Isn't that right," the housekeeper said with a smirk. "the girl was rather keen on just settling on a plane black dress. Of course, her dress is still black, but nowhere near the monstrosity that she picked out first."

Takeshi rolled his eyes as he got himself up to go to bed himself. "Takeshi?"

He turned to his aunt. "Yes, Aunt Sakurako?"

"Keep an eye on them at the gala… I can't help but feel…. Like something is going to happen…"

"I wouldn't be surprised… not with Mai suppressing her abilities like she does. She's a time-bomb waiting to blow right now. One thing is all it takes…"

"Still…"

"I'll keep an eye on her." Takeshi murmured.

In the three months that Mai had joined the family at the mansion, Takeshi had started thinking of the small brunette as a sister. Her friends had been a packaged deal, one that the young man hadn't minded, even though all but the one who needed it asked him for help in controlling their powers.

He was no Lin Koujo, but he was still apt at doing such, and had no qualms calling the more experienced Onmiyoji if he had questions.

Though there were things that Mai couldn't keep back- her empathy and reverse-empathy (which was the ability to cause others around her to feel what she was feeling), for instance- she was able to keep a lid on everything else. Not only was that not healthy, but in her case, it could be dangerous. He shook his head. He didn't know who or what had made her want to do this to herself, but she needed to stop.

The next night, there was only one word that could describe the events inside the mansion: Pandemonium. Six young women scrambling around, whining about hair appointments (which had, thank god, made house calls), trying to find their shoes, and squirming into their dresses, and all the other feminine things that were mysteries to him (thank god again, that he was a man). Of course, ran into a half-dressed Kuroda, and instantly took that back.

As her dress was to be white, she was wearing a dress slip. He felt himself heat up, as he gaped at her. Long black hair flowing down, pale skin that seemed to glow thanks to the color of the slip. "S-sorry, Takeshi-san I… I didn't mean to…" she stuttered as she got up and dashed away.

He was winded as he watched her retreat.

"Oh, ho…" his aunts voice drawled. "now that is interesting…"

"I have no clue what you are referring to, Aunt Sakurako…" he muttered, glaring at the woman. She just smirked.

"Yeah… I bet…" she snickered. Then she sighed. "I better go check on the other girls… make sure they're ready…"

He grunted. "I'm going to the car…" he grumbled. He needed to get away from all the females in the house.

It took three more hours for all of them to finish getting ready, and Takeshi was hitting his head on the horn of the car as they came out. He took one look at his and his aunt's charges and groaned.

This was going to be hell. Seven gorgeous women piled into the car. "Alright, Takeshi, lest get going." Sakurako grinned at him through the rearview mirror. He snarled, bur started driving.

Mai was grudgingly going along with this- if only for the cause. "Mai, stop pouting." Sakurako drawled. "It's unbecoming."

"I can think of worse things…" the brunette grumbled, wondering if this was how he felt before having to come to one of these things…

They arrived at the hotel ball room not long afterwards (The mansion, of course, had a ballroom, as well, but Mai had refused to host it there. That was… her space). There were already people there. "I hope they weren't waiting that long…" Mai groaned, though she'd already given each and every one of the employees large paychecks for covering this, she also tipped.

Having been a server at one of these before (and after going to one herself, for SPR), she knew how some of the more… well off people treated them. "Mai!" she heard someone call. She turned, and gasped, a smile taking over her face as she saw the woman approaching her. "Ayako!" She called happily, meeting the redhead half way.

Ayako gaped at the girl. Honestly, she'd never seen Mai wearing black. It never seemed to fit her personality. Tonight, she sported a flowing, black dress that ended at mid- thigh with long sleeves. It shouldn't have suited her at all… but… well, it did. The small, loud, and uncomfortable (in this sort of situation) teenage girl had changed. She looked even less at home here than she had before, but at the same time, she seemed to know how to act.

Her hair was longer- tied up now, in an elegant chignon, with curls framing her face.

"Ayako… Mai?" a new voice sounded behind the Miko. She stiffened, and turned to face… Hosho Takigawa. In a tux. Not rented, if what Ayako had heard from him was true… and looking oddly even more handsome than he had been when they'd last met.

The redhead felt her heart skip a beat. Mai, however, did not miss a beat. "Monk! Hey!" she grinned at him. Soon, John noticed the little group and walked over. "Thank you for inviting us, Mai," he smiled at her. Mai laughed, and hugged them all. "Don't care if it's improper." She grinned. "I'm so happy to see all of you."

They didn't have long to catch up, unfortunately, as Mai was hosting, she had to flit around, talking to people, and try to get help.

Thankfully, quite a few seemed interested in actually teaching them parapsychology, while many of the spiritualists agreed to come in to talk to the classes.

Thankfully, she thought, because she wanted to succeed in these classes. She danced, as was polite, and declined when she could get away with it, as did the others. She watched as Kuroda tried (and failed) to ask Takeshi-san to dance, and then kind of… shrink away.

Across the ballroom, the twins (Emiko in vibrant Orange and Izumi dressed in fire-engine red) didn't show any signs of tiring, as they switched from partner to partner on the floor, dancing, and Tohru- who wore dark, hunter green glared from a corner and scared away those willing to dance with her.

Over to the right stood Psyche, who was trying not to grimace as her four- inch heels started to smart, in a dress of indigo blue, and on her left, was Anabelle, who tried not to draw attention to herself, though she wore a gown of sparkling, silvery-grey that made her seem to glow.

"Care to dance, Miss Taniyama?" a smooth voice rang through her reverie. She blinked, and looked in front of her to the speaker. He was tall, she noted, and rather attractive. Black hair, and dark eyes. His smile was a bit arrogant…

Her instincts were telling her to high-tail it out of there. She forced a smile (hoping he didn't notice) and took his hand. "Sure," she murmured. "Why not…?" besides the fact that her feet were killing her right now? Besides the fact that she just wanted to go home….

And so, they danced. His hand, which was supposed to be on her back, slid down, uncomfortably low. She looked at him, and repositioned his arm. He frowned. But they continued. She learned (from his constant talking) that he was Oro Satsuki, the son of a business mogul, and that he was increadibly close-minded when it came to the paranormal ("I mean, when you're dead, you're dead… These quacks are no better than thieves…")

As the dance wore on, Mai found herself wanting to punch him in the face. Finally, the song ended and she excused herself. She knew that it was improper for the hostess to leave… but she needed to get out of there for a moment. She needed fresh air. She walked out the French doors to the patio outside.

No one had really wandered out there, so she was alone, and she smiled in relief as she sucked in the cool, crisp, clean air of the autumn evening. She felt better….

Well, until someone grabbed her wrist. She blinked as she was yanked around to face… Oro Satsuki, the young man that she'd just gotten rid of…her eyes narrowed.

"I knew you wanted me…" he purred, eyes dark with lust. She balked. "Excuse me? Let me go."

"Not a chance, you little tease. You've been eyeing me all night."

"I really haven't." Mai snapped. "Now, let me go, or so help me…" he chuckled and then, yanked her to him, going for a kiss. She snarled, and brought her other hand up, and punched him.

"You really need to learn the meaning of the word No." she hissed as she stood over him as he spluttered through a bloody nose.

"My father…"

"Will not do a damn thing. There's a camera over there, on the veranda, that records sound as well as movement. You assaulted me." As she spoke, the wind picked up, turning warmer with every word. Her eyes flashed and the patio furniture that had been placed outside started to shake. Her face twisted into a snarl, as her head started to pound.

He lunged at her again, only to be stopped by an unseen force. "Don't even think about it, kid." Another voice, one that was rather angry hissed in his ear, as the hand that held his wrist tightened. Takigawa stood behind him, and Takeshi was running out to them.

"Mai, are you okay?" he asked. She snorted, and shook her head. "It isn't his fault, Monk. My head's killing me." She groaned. Takigawa let out a yelp as blood started dripping from her nose, and her eyes slid closed. She slumped down.

"what the hell?" Takigawa gasped as he looked around himself. Chairs were flipped, and flung around the patio, tables were on their sides.

"PK-ST, PK-LT." Takeshi grunted. "She's got both forms. That kid's lucky she didn't make him beat the crap out of himself." He snarled, picking up the now unconscious girl and walking over to Takigawa. "She's been pretending that it doesn't exist. Shoving it off."

"Makes sense. I'm surprised she still wants anything to do with the supernatural, honestly. After… Naru… she kind of… well."

"I know the story. Look, the Gala's pretty much over, anyway. Things seemed to have gone our way in that respect. Mai only needs rest. She's fine besides that. This whole thing probably taught her that she can't just shove her abilities into the corner of her mind. She's got a bloody nose because of the strain."

"Are you sure she doesn't need to see a doctor?" Takigawa asked. Takeshi shrugged. "Actually, I was going to have Matsuzaki-san take a look at her, but I think she's okay…"

"Do that." Takigawa said, and then turned to the kid he was still restraining "You… Are _so_ lucky I'm not calling the cops on you," he snarled.

The boy whimpered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…. Please, don't hurt me…" Takigawa snorted, and let him go. "I see or hear of you near her again- or any of the other girls for that matter, I will personally see that you have a cell."

He walked after Shuruki, who had stopped in front of Ayako, Mai still in his arms. Ayako was giving Mai a look over, making sure she was all right. As he saw her give the other man (who reminded him of Lin) the okay, he felt relief.

Thank the gods. He caught her eye, and she walked over. "What's the verdict?" he muttered.

She shrugged. "Strain from holding back her abilities caused a nosebleed and syncope." She stopped at his frown and smirked. "Fainting. She fainted, Hosho."

"Could have said that first."

"I like baffling you with scientific terms that you can't understand." She snickered. He glared. "She's going to be okay, though?"

"Yes, she'll be fine. So long as she doesn't hold her powers back again… it kind of reminds me of what happened to Naru when he used his powers."

"So… it's the opposite of his condition, then."

"Yes and no. Naru fainted and went into cardiac arrest because he had too much power, and couldn't contain it, not without Eugene to help. I suppose he doesn't have that problem anymore now that Eugene's back, but there you are." Ayako responded.

Takigawa looked over at the girl he considered a sister or daughter, and sighed. "That Shuruki better take care of her…"

"I'm sure that he and his aunt do." Ayako placated him. He snorted, as John met up with them. "Did you two get the letter, too?" he asked. Ayako and Takigawa looked at each other and then to John and nodded. "We shouldn't tell her." The redhead muttered. The monk and exorcist both nodded in agreement.

"Though, she might already know…" John amended. "her powers have grown quite a bit…"

"Unless Eugene's been astral projecting into her dreams from England, I doubt she knows." Ayako grumbled. "He would be the one to tell her. Oliver likes keeping her in the dark…"

"I guess we're all going to England, then." Takigawa grumbled. "Good thing the bands' got some gigs there…"

* * *

 _ **For those who are wondering, Yes, there will be cases in this. It wouldn't really be a GH fanfic without them, however, for the time being, Mai is still getting mind-screwed with family and other stuff (as you can see), so they will be happening. Soon, as well. I've got some nasty ones lined up for them, some not-so-nasty ones. You have been warned. I also may up the rating on this, but I will totally tell you beforehand, so never fear. Read and Review,**_

 _ **as always, thank you for reading, AOP**_


	4. I'm Moving On

_**Angel of Pandemonium here, with the next chapter- I feel like I should get these out as soon as I write them, which is odd for me. Wow. Well, chapter 3… where Mai gets chewed out by many people. Read and Enjoy.**_

 _Chapter 3- I'm Moving On_

 _I've found you found strength in your moments of weakness,  
For once, I'm at peace with myself.  
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long  
I'm moving on._

 _ **Rascal Flatts- I'm moving on**_

Mai was unconscious for three days. When she woke up, Anabelle was waiting. Her silver eyes were narrowed with temper, and filled with tears. " _How could you_ do _that to us, Mai?!"_ she yelled, reverting to English for the first time since coming to Japan. " _We were worried_ sick _! We called Anna and Lani! We thought you were gonna_ die _!"_

Mai winced. " _Sorry."_ She mumbled. " _I wasn't really intending on getting attacked…"_

" _Not_ that _, you_ moron _!"_ Anabelle screeched " _What the_ hell _were you_ thinking, _holding your power back like that?"_

Mai blinked owlishly. " _How… how long have I been out?"_

" _Three days._ Sullivan-Momohara-Taniyama Mai. _Three_ days _. Why the hell were you_ doing _that to yourself?! You could have_ died _! From an aneurism. Your brain was_ bleeding _, Mai. Your doctor friend told us that!"_

Mai sighed. " _I did it for the same reason that_ you _, dear cousin, ran away from Ireland- and don't tell me you didn't. I didn't want to have anything to tie me back to… him…"_

" _And yet,"_ Anabelle hissed. " _You're majoring in Parapsychology. How does that even make any_ sense _?!"_

" _I feel more at home with the paranormal. It's something that I can't explain… I just…"_ she sighed.

Anabelle sighed. " _Three days, Mai…"_

" _I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. "_

" _It's not just the PK you were holding back. How long has it been since you astral projected… or… did the excercises that I told you to do? Mai, holding power back like that is extremely dangerous at the best of times. Many of us- some of whom_ don't _have the extra paranormal shit to deal with die because they don't want to use it… and it kind of… explodes out of them. You're lucky you weren't killed…"_

Mai didn't know what to say to that.

She was at a total loss here. She'd already known that keeping back the PK- without the proper training (like _he_ had)- would have blown up in her face at one point. The problem, of course, was that PK and ESP weren't the only things that Mai had.

She'd learned exactly _why_ Megumi hadn't wanted Matsuri to marry Damien Sullivan. And the fact was that Damien was different, even from those who had telepathic abilities. He had too _many_ abilities. Pyrokinesis. Aerokenisis, Geokenisis, Hydrokenisis- to name a few. He had (like Mai) had precognitive and postcognitive visions… among others.

In layman's terms, he had been a witch.

When Mai had first heard her cousin use the term, she had laughed. Witches were fictitious females with the abilities to change their appearance and fly on broomsticks. They made potions out of weird and gross things to change people into newts. Anabelle had gotten rather angry at Mai for pointing this out. She had then explained where Mai was wrong.

Most of the Witches did not fly on broomsticks. They were not green skinned, nor did they have moles. They made potions, but they really weren't potions. They were herbal remedies to _help_ people. The only difference between witches and other PK and ESP users was that they had a connection with nature. Also, the word 'witch' was genderless to them.

Unless the female witch was ridiculously powerful (which tended to happen with Anabelle and Mai's family), then they were called something different: Valkyrie.

After Anabelle had explained, Mai had thought that she was going insane, because it _just wasn't possible_. However, Anabelle had pointed out all the reasons that it wasn't crazy- starting with the fact that whenever Mai seemed upset…. Even as a child, it had started to rain. The fact that Mai's powers were still growing and getting more diverse, though she had been trying desperately to stop that, as well.

It had been just one more thing that Mai had ignored…

Which had landed her knocking herself out for three days. She sighed, and looked at her cousin. "I… I get it. I'll stop." She said. Anabelle looked at her, tears still dripping. She took a deep breath, and then she smiled.

"Now that I've snapped you out of your idiotic attempts to keep it all in, I have some good news for you." She said.

Mai perked up, though she was still rather annoyed at herself. "Really?" she asked. Anabelle snorted.

"The gala worked. Our old professors went back to their other classes. We've got new professors… who actually know their subject."

Mai grinned. "Excellent."

"We were getting sick of _you_ teaching the class."

Mai snorted. "Jerks."

She sighed, and streached as she got out of the bed. "Better get dressed…" she mutterd. She smirked as an idea came to mind, and she glared at the doors of her armoire in concentration. They opened, and clothes floated out. Anabelle sighed. "Show off…" she mumbled, though she knew that she could do the same thing.

She walked to the door. "Takeshi's on his way up to chew you out, too." She said dryly. "And the others are waiting downstairs and on the phone from England to do the same."

"England?"

"Some guy named Eugene Davis," she smirked. "And three people you invited to the Gala. They had to leave right after the party. None of them are happy with you. Eugene and some guy that Takeshi-san called Lin sounded the most pissed off."

Mai winced. Crap. She was soooooo in for it…. then she paled. _Lin_ … oh, _Fuck._ Excuse the inward language… but if _Lin_ was angry at her…. She winced. She hadn't noticed how bad she'd screwed up… until then.

She quickly got dressed, and braced herself, ready to meet her maker.

And that she did. After _everyone_ (with the exception of one) had had ripped her a piece or read her the riot act (respectively), and after she'd dissolved into a pile of tears and apologies, and promises to _never do that again_ , she waited for Lin (who had been the last, right after Takeshi), to speak.

She hadn't known that Lin had known Takeshi. As it turned out, the two of them had been classmates. Takeshi was an onmiyoji as well. They had learned from different teachers, of course, but they had attended college together, and Lin had taught Takeshi some fine-tuning when it came to their shared art.

"You will be studying control over your PK from Takeshi. Just like Eugene and Oliver learned it from me." Lin had said it in his usual monotone (as he'd already yelled at her, as had Ayako, Monk, Eugene, Masako, Madoka, Dr. Martin Davis (who had heard what she'd done as had chewed her out as a researcher) and _John_ ). She was proud of herself for being able to hold in the costomary flinch at _his_ name. in fact, she was surprised (and glad) to feel something else besides hurt….

Anger. She was getting _angry_ at him.

"Yes, Lin."

"You will listen to him, and do everything he says." Lin growled.

"Yes, Lin."

Finally, it was over. She had orders to go back and rest more. She did so. Being yelled at was exhausting. She didn't bother opening the door with her hand, she was too sluggish for that. All she wanted right now was sleep.

It had been a while since she'd heard some of their voices…. And the first time, for others. Part of her was actually _happy_ that they hadn't forgotten about her, that she had such a large family that _cared_ so much about her.

" _Just wait until me mum hears what ye've been doin' to yerself, cousin-mine…"_ another voice in her mind drawled. She groaned. Anabelle was still going, Though her accent was much more pronounced in her mind, Mai got the drift.

" _Ye're takin' the week off, too. Ye've pushed yerself too much. Takeshi's orders. Ye'll be startin' yer trainin' tomorrow. Both his… and mine."_

Mai was too tired to answer telepathically. So, she just pushed her feeling of 'assent' down the link. Anabelle seemed to take that, and left her alone after that. She hoped that they would give her the notes and schoolwork she'd be missing, because playing the catch-up game was one game that the young medium/telekinetic/witch didn't like playing.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England, two days prior_

Oliver stood, assessing Adrian and Finn with Eugene and Yasuhara. "So," the Japanese man said. "What do you think, Naru?"

He spared Yasuhara a glance before answering. "I think that it's remarkably like the abilities that Gene and I share." He replied, making another note in his little black book. Eugene smirked. "Too true, bro. One's moody and sarcastic. Just like you."

"Oh, shut up. I'm not moody." Oliver snapped. "It's ridiculous to assume that I am."

"You keep telling yourself that, man." Yasuhara drawled. "So, when are the others scedualed to be here?" he asked.

"If you mean the others we worked with in Japan, they're supposed to be here in an hour." Oliver replied.

"Well, all but one of them…." Eugene drawled, aiming a look over at his twin. Oliver ignored him and went back to the study at hand. "we have a case, by the way. Father told me to tell you lot." He said.

"Cool. Another residual haunting?" Yasuhara grinned. "those are getting a bit dull, Big Boss. I actually miss the danger of the ones back home…"

Naru snorted. "Oh, please."

"Like you don't?" Eugene drawled.

Again, he was ignored, which was about when a female voice- a very familiar female voice- rang through. "You childish _ass_. _How_ I expected you to have grown up is _beyond_ me…"

"Better than looking more like an old hag whenever I look in the mirror." Another voice sneered. Yasuhara perked up.

"My _husband_!" he squealed, as Oliver rolled his eyes and Eugene snickered. Yasuhara launched himself at the monk, who let out a girlish scream and dodged to the side.

"Yasuhara. Stop it." Oliver drawled, as the others in the room bust out laughing. Even Martin was grinning at Yasuhara's antics.

"Too bad Mai isn't here," Gene chortled. "She'd have loved the look on Monk's face…" Oliver hissed, and Gene looked over at him. "Just stating a fact, little brother…. Though I suppose that she's only _not_ here because…."

"Shut up, Eugene. I don't want to hear it right now…"

By that time, Adrian and Finn had joined them, and Finn's head was cocked to one side. "It's like first grade… the boy starts a fight with the little girl he likes…"

Adrian snorted.

Oliver, however, felt that the description was apt.

Martin, still chuckling, then called attention. "We have a case, ladies and gents. Two teams should do us fine. Oliver, you'll be leading a team, Eugene, you're with him. Adrian and Finn, you run the second team. Lin and I will oversee the rest.

"Takigawa, Yasuhara, Ayako, John, and Masako, you're with me." Oliver called. They nodded. As they loaded up, he found himself alone with the small medium, who fixed him with her large violet eyes. " _You should know that we're all rather irked with you_." She said it softly, Japanese falling easily on his ears despite not hearing it for nearly three years.

" _Why is that, Hara-san_?" he asked, though he didn't really care. She snorted. " _I know you don't care. That is the problem. You hurt her… and you didn't have to. Not that much_." She replied.

" _Hara-San, we do have more important matters to attend to. Whenever you'd like to start making sense, I'll be listening_." He said, knowing exactly what she meant. She fixed him with an almost pitying glance.

" _Oliver-san, you_ know _what I'm talking about, and that, unfortunately, is the pity of it_ ," this time, a ghost of a smirk appeared on her face. _"I believe there will be a time, soon, that you will regret how you handled it. How you handled her_."

With those last words, she began helping, though she wore her usual Kimono. "Man, I missed this…" Takigawa said, with a grin.

"How could you have missed this, Monk?" Ayako snorted. "Isn't it like loading up your band equipment?"

"Yeah, it is, but that wasn't what I was talking about, hag." He ducked her purse. "what I was talking about was cases."

"Then we should hurry, Monk." Masako said, a smile on her face, "Or we'll miss all the fun."

John chuckled from behind her, and she blushed.

Oliver hadn't felt so at home in a long time.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Momohara Mansion, Tokyo Japan, present time_

She had started her training the day after she woke up. Thankfully, as she already knew some martial arts, she wasn't _too_ sore by the end of it. She was glad to find that she was rather in shape. However, now that she'd finished the lessons with Takeshi-san, she had to wait for Anabelle to get back from classes.

Not that it was that difficult to wait, while she did, she explored the mansion. She may have been living there for a few months, but that didn't mean that she knew all of its twists and turns (apparently, her grandmother had a whimsical side when having the mansion restored, she kept all the old secret passageways and such.

She found quite a few formal Kimonos in the attic, and brought them down so that she could look through them, deciding on which ones to keep, and which ones to give away… to either her friends and cousin, or to a local charity.

She also found her grandmother's office, where all the paperwork (that she had inherited) was waiting for her (with Sakurako and Takeshi's help) to do.

What she didn't expect to find was another secret passageway in the office… leading down to _another_ office, this one in a hidden room on the ground floor. She looked around the space, that was jam-packed with books on the supernatural. Books on types of ghosts and other beings, books on telekinesis and ESP, books on meditation and books of ritual spells…. From around the world.

What surprised her the most (though, really, it shouldn't have), were the line of books in the middle shelf, behind the desk. A collection of books by Dr. Oliver Davis, Dr. Martin Davis, and Dr. Eugene Davis- all with (and she had checked) Autographs from the authors.

She found linguistic books by Dr. Psyche Mallory and Dr. Luella Davis. (the latter of which surprised her, as well), and Dr. Luella Davis's books were autographed as well.

She wondered, for a bit, why there was linguistic books in with the books on the all things occult, until she realized that many of the books were in different languages. She realized that she'd have to learn these languages, as well, if she wanted to learn more.

She used her Telekinesis to move all the linguistics books to the desk, and then, took out all the ones pertaining to English. The ones by Psyche, she set aside, though. As the author was living in her house… the least she could do was autograph them for her. The rest, she carried upstairs, into the main office.

That took two trips. Even with her PK. On the second trip, she nearly killed herself when her foot caught on a box. She cursed as she got up, and completed her self-given task, before going _back_ to the box. Whatever had nearly killed her better have been worth it.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England, present time_

The case had been depressingly easy. So much so, in fact, that even the newer members (not counting the Japanese team) were bored. Martin had just chuckled at the complaints, and Oliver had been reminded of _why_ it was that he enjoyed working in Japan so much.

As per usual, Monk and Ayako were fighting (flirting). John was trying to play peace keeper, and Masako and Yasuhara were watching, though Eugene couldn't help but notice how the other medium's eyes strayed more than once to the blond exorcist.

Yasuhara was busy eating popcorn to notice. "This is _gold_." He snickered, as he grinned. " I can't believe that I'd forgotten how much fun this was to watch…"

Masako laughed softly, as well. "Yes, I agree." She sighed. "Mai would _love_ this…" Yasuhara sighed as well. "Good luck getting Big Boss to call her…."

"Mai's still in trouble right now. Or have you two forgotten?" Eugene drawled from behind them. Masako sighed again, shaking her head, While Yasuhara snickered.

"I still can't believe that she gave herself a _nosebleed_ because she was suppressing her powers." He could laugh about it now, as his surrogate baby sister (which was how he and Eugene both thought of her) wasn't in any danger, or knocked out from misuse of her PK.

Though, Yasuhara had to ask the question that had been nagging him for the last day and a half. "Does Naru know?" he asked the other young man. Eugene rolled his eyes. "Do you _really_ think telling _him_ is necessary? God, he's bad enough as it is. You know how he gets when she's mentioned."

"Usually, we do it deliberately, _knowing_ that it'll piss him off." Yasuhara pointed out.

"Difference is, she's not putting herself in harm's way when we're poking at him." Eugene responded. Yasuhara had no response to that.

"Gene, Noll is looking for you." Lin had seemed to materialize in front of them. "He's in the office." The older twin nodded and left. Lin stood with Yasuhara and Masako.

"She'll be all right. She's going to be learning from an old college classmate of mine. He's an onmiyoji as well." Masako let a breath out, relieved.

"Thank god." Yasuhara said.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Momohara Mansion, Tokyo, Japan_

Dear, _sweet_ Kami-sama, was it worth it. Mai could hardly believe what she'd found in the box… and she was ecstatic over it. The box, which had had her grandmother's handwriting on it was filled with files, logs, charts and notebooks upon notebooks, all written in.

The topic of the whole thing? _Psychic abilities in Animals_. Her grandmother had started to research something that, with her own abilities to communicate with animals, was _perfect_ for her to study. She let out a squeal of excitement.

With trembling hands, she pulled out the notebook marked _Vol. 1,_ and began reading. She was immediately sucked in. Of course, Megumi sighted studies done by other big names (BSPR in Cambridge being the most prominent of them) that observed psychic abilities within animals, but there was nothing _this_ in depth, nothing that was _conclusive_.

It seemed as though her grandmother had been studying this for a while.

It wasn't until she heard her name being called in the main office that she was able to resurface herself from the research.

The research that she would continue…. The research that may actually give her a shot at studying at the one school that was practically _made_ for paranormal and psychic investigations… this was her and her friends' ticket to Cambridge.

…

When Anabelle found Mai, she was sitting on the floor in her grandmother's office with a box in front of her. Anabelle gaped, as she walked into Mai's euphoria.

That was new.

While Mai had always been a rather cheerful person (not counting the points in time when… well, _he_ (whoever _he_ was to her) was brought up), this was a totally different type of happy. IT was an almost hungry feeling. Like she'd found the key to all the world's lost treasures.

"Eh, Mai…" she called, trying to break her cousin out of whatever stupor she was in. "I'm back from classes. It's time to train."

She didn't feel as confident as she sounded. She'd only been learning the basics from her mother when she'd… left for… college.

Mai didn't notice her calling, So Anabelle looked over her sholdier at the writing. "What are you reading, Mai?" she asked.

Mai's head jerked up and she looked over at Anabelle. She gave her an almost maniacal grin. Ana blinked and backed up a bit. She'd seen that look only once since joining her cousin in Japan… and that was when someone had the _horrible_ idea in class to piss the psychic off.

Needless to say, the young man had never spoken again… and had left the program soon after.

"It's my grandmother's research. She never completed it. Psychic abilities in Animals. She didn't have it published…. I think that I just found my dissertation…"

Anabelle blinked. "Mai… Your doctorate is a _long_ way away…" She said dryly. Mai laughed. "Years, away Good thing that this is going to take me years." She replied.

Anabelle grinned. "Well, enough about that. Get down to the training room. Now." She smirked. "It's time… For me to teach you the ways of the witch…"

Mai snorted. "Wow… that sounds really unimpressive when you say it like that."

"Eh, you win some, you lose some…" Anabelle shrugged. "Now, get moving, cousin-dear."

Mai would never admit it, afterwords, but she had never felt more exhausted in her life after that training session with Anabelle.

Thankfully, Anabelle and the others _had_ brought her the coursework for her classes, so she was able to keep on top. She'd already read the textbooks for most of the classes she was taking, so she pretty versed in what it was that they were going over… but her psychology teacher had a habit of lecturing things that weren't in the book, and were on the tests, so she'd have to ask a classmate for the notes for the week that she missed.

It was Thursday afternoon when Mai was finally able to stay awake after Takeshi and Anabelle's lessons long enough to talk to Psyche.

"Can you teach me other languages?"

The darker haired girl blinked, and fixed Mai with her large green eyes. "What's the sudden yearning to know more than Japanese and English?"

Mai couldn't really explain it, so she took Psyche down to the secondary office. The other young woman gaped at all the books. "Oh. This totally explains it…" she whispered. Mai nodded. "I know. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Just let me read this, too…." She said. "Im also going to need you to sign these books, Psyche." Mai smirked as she handed the young linguistics professor all of her books. Psyche gasped and went pink.

She did it anyway, though.

So, began Mai's third fourth set of lessons…. They started with Chinese and Mandarin.

The next week, the Parapsychology class found out that they had a surprise.

 _ **So, I've finally gotten to why this story is called Untamed. Thank god, I was trying so hard to rewrite this chapter…. It took me three tries, because I made a goof that doesn't come up until later in the story…. And I didn't notice it until I was re-reading it….**_

 _ **I'm trying to get out of the deadly beginning zone as quickly as possible. As I said, eventually there will be reunions between Mai and Anabelle and the ones that they've both been carefully avoiding. I'll go into some of the lessons that Anabelle is teaching Mai in the next chapter.**_

 _ **As always, thank you for reading, and please, review. AOP**_


	5. All These Tears

_**As I said, I'm trying to get this out as fast as I can…. Because I've got a bunch to write, and it's really spilling out. So, here's the next chapter. Enjoy**_

* * *

 _Chapter 4- Wasted all these tears_

 _You ain't worth another sleepless night.  
What you did, I'll never forget.  
You left me standing on a corner crying  
Feeling like a fool for trying  
Wish I could erase our memory  
Because you didn't give a damn about me  
~_ _ **Cassandra Pope- Wasted All These Tears**_

 _She ran to him, a laugh on her lips. Finally, he'd shown up. She was worried that he wouldn't. Mai giggled as she launched herself into his arms. He swung her around in a circle. The warmth of his body lulled her as nothing else could. Dear Kami, she loved him. He set her down on the ground, and looked into her eyes._

 _She frowned in confusion. He'd never looked so sad…_

" _I'm sorry, my Yuki…" he whispered, silver eyes sparkling with tears._

 _She didn't understand… not until she felt it._

 _The point of a knife._

" _I love you, my_ hime _…." He whispered, even as he stabbed her through the back. She screamed in pain._

 _Why?_

…

The next morning was a rush- more than usual, as they were running late. Mai hopped around on one foot, trying to brush her teeth and put her shoes on at the same time, while Psyche was trying to brush her hair and put make up on all at once. Anabelle was yelling up the stairs at them to get a move on, the twins were shoveling their breakfasts in their mouths as fast as possible.

Tohru was the only one who was ready and waiting quietly, tapping her foot. She grinned as she waited, wondering why she enjoyed the morning chaos so much. Finally, they were ready and leaving, yelling as they left that they'd see Sakurako later.

They made it to class on time…. Or at least, on time enough to hear their new professor's announcement.

"I've been approached by an old friend about a haunting, so, class, this will be our first field case… glad you could make it, Taniyama, Fitzgerald, Naoko, Fujiwara, Mallory, and you two as well, Masumoto and other Masumoto…"

The six of them winced. "Sorry…" Mai grumbled. "We…. Uh…"

"You, Taniyama, have an excuse. The rest of you, however, do not." the new professor, Korito Sanda, who was a paranormal researcher and renowned ghost hunter, drawled. She smirked at Mai, who blushed.

"Back to what I was saying, those of you who wish to participate, the sign-up sheet is here on my desk. Please pack for a few days, I will excuse you with your other professors."

Mai's hand shot up. "What's the case, Korito-sensei?"

"And finally, someone who asked," the woman grinned. "It's a case involving a local club. They've been having problems for quite a while, however, it seems to be getting worse. There've been casualties- no deaths… but…." Korito frowned.

"I'll be debriefing those of you who wish to come with. Some of this _is_ case-sensitive, after all."

Mai grinned, excitement filling her She hadn't been out in the field for a while. Coupled with the dream she'd just had the night before… She couldn't wait to sign up… and sign up she did. Along with Psyche, Anabelle, Tohru, Izumi and Emiko. Funnily enough, none of the others wanted to come along.

Korito-sensei waited until they were done signing the paper before starting to speak. "well, I expected you, miss Taniyama. I heard you used to work for SPR…"

Mai sighed, but nodded, remembering that this fact would only _help_ her now. She had experience where this was concerned. "I still don't know what you and your friends bring to this table, though.." Korito-sensei continued. "So if you wouldn't mind giving me a rundown…"

The girls looked at each other, deciding among themselves. Tohru was the first, surprisingly enough, to speak. "I have what my _father_ (she spit the word) called Infernokinesis." She frowned. "I can't control it, so I can't really use it. I control hellfire."

It was something that Mai always wondered about, though she knew that everyone in the group had some sort of psychic power, but she didn't know what kind. Apperantly, though it was enough to make Izumi and Emiko talk.

"We can communicate telepathically with each other. But Emiko has Bio-thermalkinesis- the ability to mess with body temperature, and I have Calokinesis… I can control the temperature in general." Izumi said.

Psyche shrugged. "I have ESP enough to sense, see, and hear ghosts. I also have Biokinesis… I heal people, basically."

Kuroda sighed. "I have PK-ST."

Anabelle went next. "Ecokinesis, Telepathy, PK-ST, PK-MT, and ESP as well."

Mai groaned. "Do I have to name them all? Ecokinesis- that's a family thing. Astral Projection… I have dreams relating to cases, so technically, I have pre- and post- cognitive dreams. PK-LT and ST, empathy and reverse empathy with both animals and humans, ESP, animal senses and instincts, and I'm a perfect medium." she listed them off on her fingers, leaving Korito-Sensei staring at her openmouthed.

"How the _hell_ did BSPR let you get away?" she asked. Mai sighed.

"At first, it was only Astral projecting, empathy, my instincts, and ESP. I was, according to my former employer, a latent psychic… so… my powers kind of… multiplied."

"Well, _that's_ the understatement of the century…." Korito muttered. She sighed. "Are any of you familiar with exorcisms or cleansings?"

"Both," Mai said. "Though I can't do exorcism. I can cleanse. I've done it before."

Korito sighed. "why am I not surprised?" she asked dryly. She leveled a look at the girls. "Are you all up to this?"

There was an immediate response, as all the girls nodded. "Er, Korito-Sensei? There is someone else I'd like to invite on this one." Mai said. "He's been teaching us all to control our PK abilities." She said. "He's an onmiyoji."

Korito grinned. "Excellent." She responded. "Great idea. An Onmiyoji is always a good thing to have on your team. Meet me tomorrow morning. Parapsych classes have been canceled for now, until this case is done, so it should be empty. Pack for a few days. I don't know when we'll be done."

"Hai." They all replied as they left. Or, most of them did. Mai stayed. "Korito-sensei, The case we're working on, what's the ghost?"

"A young woman in a white dress…" she murmured. "She was killed with a stab wound to the back- which we only know due to those who have seen the ghost."

Mai sighed. "I was right, then."

Korito-sensei blinked. And then, she put it together. "Pre- and post- cognative dream. You dreamt of the case, didn't you?"

"Yes. I was stabbed in the back. By…. _Him_. Someone that she was in love with. I should have more on it tomorrow."

"Be sure to tell me…"

"I'll warn you now, Sensei, I don't know what my dreams mean sometimes."

"Writing them down helps." The woman returned. "That's what I'd do, were I you." Mai blinked. "Thank you, Sensei…" she said. Korito smiled and Mai left.

When she got back to the mansion, she had training with Takeshi and then with Anabelle, and language class with Psyche.

Takeshi smiled wryly at her. "Time for the next step. I've been having you meditate first, so you get used to it, and martial arts is to keep your body in shape. If you don't _stay_ in shape, your powers tend to take _you_ over. Now, I'm going to teach you how to control them.

For some," he went on, "The key to control is controlling everything… including your emotions. This method… won't work for you, as you are just so emotional naturally- no, that's not a bad thing, but at the same time, it makes that form of suppression bad for you."

Mai nodded. Takeshi smirked. "Mai, what is the definition of _stasis_?" At this, Mai frowned. "I don't know, Takeshi." She replied.

"Okay, what about duality?"

"What? Isn't that like a Chinese thing?" she asked. "Something to do with the lesson of Yin and Yang."

"Two equal forces merging." Takeshi nodded. "So, Mai, tell me. Close your eyes and picture light. Just light." She did, and took a deep breath. Slowly, the edges around her vision got brighter and brighter. Like the light she'd seen multiple times as she helped, or saw spirits crossing into the afterlife. Warm and soothing. She smiled softly.

"Now, picture darkness. The complete opposite." Takeshi ordered her. She frowned. Black bloomed along the light. Cold and empty. She shuddered.

"Now, look between the two." Takeshi said. "Where the two colors meet. What do you see?"

"Grey." Mai noted.

"Good. Actually, that's perfect. Night and day, dark and light. Just as you said, the old Chinese philosophy. The lesson of Yin and Yang. One can exist without the other, but when both work together, it's more powerful. Harmonious. Duality."

Mai nodded as she opened her eyes. "Your homework now, is to find your own harmony with your powers. Anabelle should help with that. As it is… it's time for her to teach you." He said as he got up. "After the case, we'll spar. See how far you've gotten."

Mai sighed. "Okay, Takeshi. Thank you."

He nodded and left the room. OF course, now Mai had more questions than solutions…. How the hell was she supposed to find harmony with her PK?

"Practice makes perfect, Mai." Anabelle drawled from the doorway. Mai sighed. "Of course."

Anabelle giggled. "Well, time to start on _my_ lessons. Come on, we're going outside." Was a bit taken aback. "What? Why?"

Anabelle outright laughed now. "Because, cousin-mine. In order for you to control what the parapsychologists call Ecokinesis, you need to be _outside_ where everything is." She said, as she lead the way out of the mansion. She grinned as she lead her cousin down a trail into the forest that surrounded the mansion.

The path itself was overgrown with lush greenery. Of course, that was because the Momohara mansion was on the outskirts of the capitol, so it had quite a bit of land. They ended up in a small meadow that Anabelle had found not long ago. Mai's eyebrow shot up.

"oh, god, you're not going to tell me you're a sparkly vampire, are you? She asked dryly." Anabelle let out a laugh and shook her head. "Do I _look_ like a sparkly fairy?" she snickered.

"Thank god." Mai groaned.

"Anyway. You are in nature. The one thing you can control above all else. This… this has always been a witch's first power… well, okay, that's Pyrokinesis. Which is first." She brought out a candle, and looked up at Mai. "Light it with your mind."

"Uh, how?"

"Will it to be. Feel the heat of the flame in your mind picture it, and will it to be…. On the wick of the candle, please. I don't want to be a fried witch."

Mai did as she was told. Closing her eyes for the twelfth time that day and pictured it. the warmth of the flame. Small and sure, on the wick of the candle. "Good, Mai. You did it." she heard her cousin call out to her. She exhaled and grinned.

Success.

"Lesson is over. Faster than usual, I might add. Homework is to practice. Start with candles and then move to the fireplace. After you master it with your eyes closed, you should be able to do it with a wave of your hand." Anabelle grinned.

Mai let out another breath and then sat down, utterly spent. Anabelle sat with her, and began to speak.

"You… never told me why you wanted to keep your powers locked up like that." She said quietly.

"You never told me why you ran away from Ireland." Mai returned, keeping her eyes closed, the old ache in her heart starting up again. Anabelle let out a breath.

"I feel that we should talk… after all, we are the closest thing to blood sisters either of us has got…."

Mai chuckled. "Too true, though I consider every single one of the other girls we live with sisters."

"As do I." Anabelle said. "But we're getting off topic, here." She sighed. "I suppose, since I asked, I should go first."

Mai's brown eye cracked open as her cousin started talking, again in English. " _I guess… it started when I was a little girl_ ," Anabelle began. " _My parents and I moved to Galway from Tralee, where I'd been born_." She smiled at the memory. " _I hadn't wanted to leave, but… well, Da's work kind of made the decision for us. As I sat in our new front yard, crying, I heard a voice. 'Why're ye crying for?' I looked up and saw them for the first time."_

" _They were our next-door neighbors, Finbar and Adrian Connolly. Their mum had gone in to talk to my parents, welcome them to Galway and such. It had been Fin who'd asked me why I was crying, and I said that it was because I didn't want to leave. Then, Adrian spoke. 'that's stupid,' he said, 'you're going on about something that you can't even control.' Fin hit him and told him that he should be nicer…._

 _But, what Adrian had said made me feel so much better. And I got used to Galway. Got some friends, and learned from my mother…. And slowly, I started falling in love with Adrian."_ Anabelle sighed, a sad smile came to her face. _"It wasn't so much something I noticed… in fact, I didn't realize it until I caught him kissing Mary Sweeney. I didn't know what was wrong with me, until Finn found me a few hours later, crying again in the barn."_

" _I told him what had happened, and that I didn't know why I was crying. He looked at me and asked me if I had been jealous. Of course, I balked at the idea… until I realized that I had indeed felt that way."_

 _So, I hid it away. From everyone but Finn."_

Mai listened to the story, how Anabelle had come to grips with the fact that she was in love with the more volatile of the twins, watching him flit from girl to girl, and cried on Finn's shoulder, as she started thinking of Finn as her big brother, because of how he'd comfort her… and finally, of how she'd spent weeks mustering up the courage to tell Adrian how she'd felt…

Only for him to kiss her, and then break her heart.

Mai sighed. "At least he didn't think you were in love with his brother…" she muttered. Anabelle gaped at her, and Mai snorted. "Yup. Oliver Davis. My former boss at SPR. He'd come to Japan under an assumed name- Shibuya Kazuya- to look for the body of his recently deceased brother. He'd been killed in a hit and run… or, rather, a hit, another hit, and then dump the body in a lake, and _then_ run."

"Wow…" Anabelle said, eyes wide.

"Not the best part yet, Anabelle." She snorted. "you see, after I started working for him, I started to dream- my astral projections. Though in those days, _he_ was in my dreams. Guiding me…. Or so I thought."

She sighed. "It wasn't until we found his body that I found out that the person in my dreams was, in fact, Eugene Davis, Oliver's dead brother. Funnily enough, I'd been falling in love with Oliver the whole time." She snorted. "I told him after we'd found Eugene's body…. And then… Then he said…" she broke off, hugging herself. "He asked 'Me? Or Gene?' I… I hadn't known that it had been Eugene in my dreams. And while I liked him… I hadn't fallen in love with… but I didn't know, and suddenly I was confused… and then, he left."

She sighed. "We're a pair, aren't we?" she asked, as the rain started dripping down on them. She figured it was because of both of them. Anabelle snorted. "We sure can pick 'em." She responded. "Do the others know?"

"They do… all but Psyche… but I think she figured it out by asking some of the others…. And a bit of deductive reasoning. She doesn't know everything… but she does know quite a bit."

"Probably up to the 'he thinks you fell in love with his formerly deceased twin brother' thing, right?" Mai chuckled. "Yeah.

"Well, now, I know…" Psyche drawled, coming forward. "Geeze. You are a piece of work, Mai." She snorted. "I came down here because it's time for your Chinese/Mandarin lesson. Sakurako told me where you two went."

Mai sighed, and got up, the soft drizzling started to trickle away, when a thought came to Mai's mind. "Uh, Anabelle, what happens to the weather when we get angry?" she asked.

Anabelle snorted. "Thunderstorms. Lightning. That sort of thing. That's why witches like us are called Valkyrie." She smirked.

"Oh… okay, then." She murmured. The three girls went back to the mansion, where Sakurako waited with towels. "The three of you _need_ to be more careful." She said. "Sorry, Sakurako," they all said. Anabelle bid Psyche and Mai goodnight and went to get ready for the case they'd be starting tomorrow.

Psyche and Mai went to the library and studied. Surprisingly enough, Psyche made learning the two languages rather easy. She started with speech, and then went to writing and reading, making her watch kid's language shows in the language. It was a bit embarrassing, but it got the job done.

After an hour of linguistics class (as she liked to call it), Mai went upstairs to pack.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England_

Martin Davis hung up and put his cell phone on his desk. He supposed that it was time… to open the fellowship once more. He'd have to talk to Madoka, Lin, Eugene, Oliver, and his wife about it, but he felt it would be worth it.

Especially if what his contact at Tokyo University had told him was true. Seven girls all with such divers psychic abilities… some with multiple abilities…. He shivered just thinking about it. Of course, it would have to be proven first… but he had a feeling.

"Hey dad, what's up?" Martin grinned as his eldest son came into the office.

"Oh, just thinking about opening the fellowship for this year…" he said it airily. "I've got a line on seven rather extraordinary cases…"

Oddly enough, Eugene's eyes sparked with a sly interest. "Not at Tokyo University, father?" he asked.

Martin cocked his head to the side. "As a matter of fact," he drawled, "Yes." He watched with interest as an unholy grin spread across the young man's face as he left the office. When Eugene got _that_ look on his face… someone usually suffered…

That someone, nine times out of ten, was Oliver. Martin had to wonder what the hell was going on. He looked at his computer, the email that had accompanied the call was on the screen. It was a list of the names of the seven students:

Sullivan Mai

Fitzgerald Anabelle

Mallory Psyche

Masumoto Izumi

Masumoto Emiko

Fujiwara Tohru

Naoko Kuroda

He would have loved to call Miss Korito back, however, she had said that she'd be taking her students on a case. She'd told him that she'd get in touch with him when she got back.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXXX**_

 _Tokyo University, the next day_

They met in the classroom, and were immediately put to work by Korito-sensei, putting the cameras and sensors and all the equipment into the back of the van that she'd rented. "Alright then," Korito- sensei sang out cheerfully. "Let's get a move on."

It took them two hours to get to the old club. It had closed down years ago, but had reopened, Korito-sensei's friend had bought it from the original owners, who, seventy years before, had found the body of a young woman on the second-floor balcony.

The woman had been Mogami Yuki, the daughter of the police chief of that time. This, they learned from the police reports themselves. No one knew who had murdered the just- turned- seventeen-year-old.

What they did know, was directly after that, a young woman, reported to be Yuki, had been seen floating around, and attacking young couples (the male of the pair) who went up to the balcony. To make out… or other things.

She'd always said the same thing: _He LIES_.

The last time, she had put all four of those young men in the hospital, in critical condition. "Typical vengeful spirit…" Mai grumbled as she and the others finished setting up base. "Though I _can't_ really blame her…"

"Mai, four young men are in the ICU because of this girl." Korito said dryly. Mai sighed. "I didn't say that she was doing the right thing. I didn't even say I agree with her methods. I said I can't blame her for being a vengeful spirit…. Especially when I felt her die. I felt that knife getting shoved into my back."

She had dreamed the night before, true. She had found out, in two nights exactly _why_ the spirit of Mogami Yuki was so hateful towards young lovers. She looked at her teacher. "Whoever _he_ was…. He betrayed her."

As if she'd spoken the magic words, a blast of freezing air swept through the base. Yuki stood in front of Mai, seen by most of the people in the room. Her was different than those that Mai had seen before. The pretty, young face was overlaying the outline of her skull, though she was translucent.

 _What do_ _you_ _know?_

The voice was not spoken out loud. That, too, was usual. Mai sighed, before answering. "that was fast. Not unexpected, though." She shook her head. "I know how you died." She said. "I know how it felt to get a knife shoved through your back by the man you thought loved you as much as you loved him."

The ghost let out an unearthly scream, before disappearing.

"So… that was… new." Mai looked at her teacher, a droll grin on her face. "you think?"

"Okay, then. Taniyama, Fitzgerald, I want you two to look around for anything you can find that may lead us to Mogami-san's killer You two are the powerhouses, after all, but Taniyama is a danger magnet. Izumi, Emiko, can you pick up on Fitzgerald's thoughts?"

"If she calls…." Emiko said. "We can usually only communicate with each other, unless the third party had Telepathy as well."

"Emiko, I want you with Fujiwara. I want measurements and temperatures. Izumi, you're with me and Naoko. We'll be talking to the victim's… girlfriends, and the others who've seen her." She said. "We'll be watching the base as well."

Mai and Anabelle nodded, then looked at each other. "Library?" Anabelle asked. Mai Nodded. "Library." She replied.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so the start of the first case. As this is literally the first case I've ever done, I'd like to hear what you guys think of it. Also, keep in mind, that right now, Mai is with a different team, and the ghost has already been established. This is why they really didn't do any temperature readings or measurements first. At this point it is just formality. Also, When Mai signed the paper to go on the case, she did sign in Sullivan Mai.**_

 _ **Reasons for that are… going to be coming up later. And to those of you who commented, saying that you hope that she gives Naru a hard time when they are reunited… oh, don't worry. She will. She most certainty will. I'm going to be honest. I love Naru. I love him to death, and I so ship him with Mai. So hard. The problem is…. I think he needs a good kick in the balls. So yes,**_ _vampgirl1309_ _ **and**_ _Nagisa Maeda,_ _ **he**_ **will** _ **crawl. As will Adrian.**_


	6. The Wolf

_**Yo. This has got to be the fastest that I've ever updated any of my stories… I'm actually proud of myself. Then again… it just keeps coming. So, Read and Enjoy…. As Mai, Anabelle and Psyche get themselves in some rather messy crap…**_ _Nagisa Maeda,_ _ **I think you're gonna like this one.**_

* * *

 _Chapter 5- The Wolf_

 _I'm out of my head, of my heart and my mind_

 _'Cause you can run but you can't hide_

 _I'm gonna make you mine_

 _'Cause I can feel how your flesh now_

 _Is crying out for more_

 _ **Siamès- The Wolf**_

It took hours to sort through all of the newspapers at the library, though the police case files on Mogami Yuki's murder helped quite a bit. They were able to narrow their field to that day and the following weeks.

The results were about as enlightening as watching SpongeBob. Mai found herself hitting her head on the desk over and over again, trying to figure out what Yasuhara _did_ to find out all the crap that he'd managed to find on their other cases with SPR.

She was drawing a blank. "What do you think, Anabelle?" she asked, praying that her cousin had _something…anything._ The other young woman just groaned. "No…. I don't… didn't you have a dream or something…"

"My dreams don't tell me the _who_ all the time…" she wined. "They give me cryptic message crap that I have to figure out on my own…" she glared at the newspapers and reports laying innocently on the table.

"Mai, if you keep doing that, you really will set them on fire." Anabelle grumbled.

"That's it…." Mai growled, as she took out her cell phone. "I'm calling Yasuhara."

Anabelle gaped. That… would be a first. She didn't know who this Yasuhara was, but if they could help… Mai looked up at Anabelle's face and grinned. "He's an old friend of mine. Used to help SPR out with case research. Was damn good at it, too. If ever there was a time to call him, now would be it. Maybe I can learn some secrets to research…"

"You're going to need them if you're going to do that research thing of your grandmother's…" Anabelle grumbled. Mai sighed. "The difference there is that I'll be doing all the testing, logging, writing… everything. I won't really _have_ to go to the library…" Mai returned as she found Yasuhara in her phones' phonebook.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge, England_

Yasuhara stared dumbly at his cellphone for a few seconds before he answered it. "Mai?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

" _Yasu, I need help_ " she whined over the phone. _"I'm on a case… researching. I can't seem to find anything."_

Yasuhara gaped at the phone. She was on a case? Without _them?_ He couldn't help but feel both proud and sad at the same time. Takigawa must have noticed, because he came up to stand beside him. "What's up, Yasu?"

"Mai's on a case." He said, grinning. Ayako gasped as she heard the news. "She's on a _case_?" the others from the little group jumped up, Masako smiled behind her kimono sleeve, when Oliver and Eugene entered the room.

"What's going on?" Eugene asked, watching.

"Mai just called Yasu… she needs help on a case." She said grinning at the older twin. She did not notice Oliver's eyes narrow. "Cool." Eugene grinned.

"What're you looking for, Mai?"

" _Anything,"_ her voice came out of the phone- that Yasuhara had put on speaker, and Oliver felt something… he pushed it aside before it could take hold. " _I know the name of the victim- our little vengeful spirit. I know her background. I know where and_ how _she died… what I don't know… the_ key _of the case… is_ who _did it and_ why _."_

"Why's that the key?" Yasuhara asked, confused. Usually it was the why the ghost died. Mai huffed.

" _Whoever it was… had been her lover. From what I can get from my dreams, they had a pretty heavy thing. All I know was that he was really torn up over it. Sounded like he didn't have a choice…"_

"There's always a choice…" Oliver snapped. "He, whoever he was, chose the wrong one."

There was silence. Until she answered. " _I couldn't agree more, Dr. Davis."_ Her voice had changed. Even from the other side of the globe, Oliver could feel the ice. Though that was unimportant… and not his problem. " _And you'd know all about those kinds of choices, wouldn't you?"_

It was a good shot, he admitted it to himself. " _though, I don't expect you to think so. My problem is that…. Well, I can feel that I'm missing something… I just can't figure out_ what _I'm missing…"_

"Well, are there any events that happen directly after that? Like, big events…?" Yasuhara asked, before Oliver could say anything. She'd gotten better, Eugene thought in amusement, unbeknownst to him, that same thought was running though almost everyone else's head. Even Lin smirked.

They heard papers rustling, she'd obviously put them on speaker as well, before another voice spoke " _What about that one? Pretty interesting, don't you think that the local Yakuza family got a new head, two days after the murder?"_

" _Hm… You could be right…"_

"Hold up… Anabee? Is that you?" Yasuhara looked over to see Finn grinning ear to ear as he heard the other young woman's voice. A quiet gasp sounded, before a joyously musical " _Finn!_ " sounded through the phone.

Adrian, who was right beside him froze. "How're you doing, little bee?" Finn called. He heard her giggle and then sigh.

" _Stuck on a case, unfortunately. Thanks to Yasu over there, who's helping us figure it out... hm, hey Mai, it says here that the new head of this Yakuza family was about 18 years old at the time of the murder… not too far of a stretch, right?"_

Mai sighed. " _See, I'd agree with you, Cousin, but… well… Yuki was the police chief's daughter. She wouldn't go running…. Around… with… Oh… Kami-_ sama _!"_

Yasuhara snorted. "Oh, now we're getting it. Come on Mai. Classic love story gone wrong. She falls in love with the wrong guy and to get to the top, he has to kill her…"

" _He loved her too… I think… then again, there are many people who are just_ amazing _at lying… even by omission."_

At this, Yasuhara gaped. Had she just... compared Oliver to a murderer…?"

" _though, he_ did _shove a knife into her back, hell… he could have been lying to her about everything… like his_ name _. So, who's to say that the boy that she was mentioned to be seeing was even his real name…"_

Oh, she was. She was going there. Yasu snuck a glance over to the Big boss, who was looking impassively at the phone… and then, he spoke. "Well done, you've finally figured out something that a _grade_ \- schooler could've done in less time. If you're quite finished interrupting our work…"

" _You weren't doing anything but going to get your precious tea, Dr. Davis."_ Mai cut in. _"Yasuhara would have told me if the lot of you were on a case. Furthermore, insulting my intelligence is juvenile, don't you think? Thank you, Yasuhara, for the help."_

"I'll admit, it's a long-shot, Mai…" Yasuhara snickered.

" _It's the best I've got from what I have… which is as usual, annoyingly cryptic dreams and a crap ton of newspapers."_

"Bye, Mai."

" _Later, Yasu,"_ the call ended… and Yasuhara couldn't hold it in any longer. He broke out laughing.

"Oh, she's gotten _good_ ," he snickered. "Dear Kami, that was amazing." Takigawa was openly gaping at the phone in Yasuhara's hand.

"What happened to my precious little Mai?" he whispered, looking comically proud and crestfallen at the same time. Ayako smirked.

"About time she gave as good as she got… no, wait, _better_." The temperature in the room dropped.

"Oliver." Lin said. The other man shrugged. "Not me." He stated simply.

It wasn't. It was Adrian. "Are you _shitting_ me?" he hissed, livid tone "She's on a _case_?"

"It's what she'd been wanting to do for a while…" Finn drawled. "Get a grip, Adrian. She made her choice… and so did you. In fact, you made most of her choice for her." Green eyes clashed, both angry, though the one who seemed calmer was more angry- if only for his brother's behavior towards their childhood… friend.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

They ran back to the club, arriving about the same time as Takeshi, who had some business to finish before he'd been able to join them. He grinned as he caught sight of two of his students. "Mai, Anabelle. What…"

"In a hurry. Need to report." Mai gasped, running in ahead of him. She nearly slipped on the staircase getting to the base. Korito-sensei was waiting for them. "What did you find out?" she asked, wondering why on earth they looked so out of breath.

Anabell was the first to answer. "We may have found out who it was… problem is, it's completely circumstansial, with the _smallest_ of coincideces." She gasped. Mai nodded.

"Two days after Mogami-san was murdered, the local Yakuza got a new head." Mai gasped. "An eighteen-year-old by the name of Kuronuma Yuru. He's still in charge, but getting up in years…." She frowned.

"Funny, most of the Yakuza families in Japan went after us once or twice, but the Kuronuma…." Kuroda murmured. Tohru frowned as well. Izumi and Emiko looked over, both cocking their heads to the side.

Korito frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. Psyche on the other hand asked. "What's a Yakuza family?"

To answer both questions, Mai looked up. "Before we attended Uni, we were…to put it bluntly, Yankees, Korito-sensei. At least, all of us besides my cousin and Psyche. There were two more of us, but Anna's studying to be a lawyer, and Lani's studying to take over her father's business."

Korito gaped. "Yankees?" she whispered, looking amazed. Mai nodded. "Actually, prior to a few months ago, I didn't even know I was Momohara Megumi's granddaughter. I was living in a low-income apartment, which I'd gotten because my employers at the bookshop were trying to help me out. Before that, I was homeless…. Living with a friend of mine from SPR." She shrugged at Korito's expression.

"What's a Yankee, here?" Psyche groaned, not knowing what the hell was going on. Anabelle grinned. "Mai had to explain it to me while we were looking through all the old papers. A Yankee is what we call a gang member. The Yakuza is basically a crime family. Not unlike the mobs in America."

"Thank you. Finally." Psyche said. Then to Mai… "You sure this guy's the one?"

Mai shrugged. "Only way to find out is to have another dream…" she said. "Which'll happen tonight."

Takeshi, who had arrived at the base not long after the cousins, frowned. "You said they only come after men in a relationship?"

"Well, technically, she went for Mai when we first got here." Psyche drawled. "You should probably stay away from the balcony on the other side of the floor, though, Takeshi." She drawled. Takeshi nodded, and pulled out a back. "I brought dinner." He said calmly.

As they ate, Mai and Anabelle told them how they'd found out about the whole thing.

"Again, it's a longshot. We may be _way_ off base. But I called a friend of mine…. He's studying at Cambridge right now, with BSPR." Korito blinked, and looked up. "You have friends at BSPR?" she asked, grinning.

Her plan was formulating. Mai nodded. "Plenty, actually. I worked with Lin Koujo for nearly two years. Yasuhara Osamu as well. I'm friends with Hara Masako and Matsuzaki Ayako… as well as Takigawa Houshou. Eugene Davis helped me interpret my dreams when I first started having them..."

"What about Oliver Davis?" She asked. Mai hesitated. "He… was my boss. Great at constructive criticism." She muttered ruefully. Korito frowned. That was the least she'd said about any of the people she used to work with.

"She doesn't like talking about it." Anabelle said quietly, looking at Korito with a wry grin. "It's kind of a thing."

She nodded, but asked no more.

After dinner, they did more readings, and then went to bed. Mai sighed as she slipped into the futon. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

 _She looked for him, he had to be here. He promised. She caught sight of him, and launched herself into his arms._

" _Yuru…" she whispered. "I thought you wouldn't be here."_

" _I almost didn't come." He muttered. She frowned. "Yuru… what's wrong?" she asked. He sounded so sad._

" _I can't get out of it… If I don't…."_

" _If you don't what, my love?"_

 _He sighed "I love you, Yuki. My princess… no, my queen. Maybe…"_

" _Yuru, you're scaring me…" She tried to move away, to look at his face. He didn't let her. "I'm sorry. I love you."_

 _ **Pain. She floated in the air. Where am I, she wondered. Where's Yuru? She looked around… and then down. There was her love, sobbing quietly, as he looked at her body. A knife was in her back.**_

 _ **I'm dead, she realized. And he did it.**_

" _I'm sorry, Yuki… I had to…" he moaned._

" _Well, kid, you did it. You're head of the family now." Another voice said._ _ **She froze. He killed her because… but he'd sworn he would leave the family…**_

 _ **He'd promised her….**_

 _ **She let out a scream.**_

Mai woke up gasping. "Damn." She cursed softly. Psyche, being the light sleeper she was, woke up as well at the sound of her voice.

"Mai, you okay?"

"Yeah. I just hate being right sometimes…." She muttered.

"So, it was the Yuru guy?" Psyche asked. Mai nodded. "Killed her so he could be head of the Yakuza family. Funny. He had promised her that he'd leave the family for good."

"Hence the 'he lies' part of her attacks…"

"Yup." Mai groaned. "Looks like more legwork tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Gotta go see the Mr. Kuronuma." She snorted, as she lay back down.

Psyche snorted. Well, something like that had been bound to happen, eventually. She was just surprised that it had taken her that long to find something stupidly dangerous. She shook her head, and turned on her side, letting sleep take her once more.

….

 _She'd heard Mai try to explain it, but at the time, Psyche hadn't gotten it. How could you tell if you were on the Astral Plane, anyway? She had wondered. Now, as she looked around, she could finally see what Mai had been talking about._

 _For surely, something this beautiful couldn't possibly have been dreamt up by her. She just didn't have this good of an imagination._

" _Wow, I didn't expect to see someone here…" another voice, not hers (not with_ that _British accent), said. She gasped and turned._

 _There was another person here. He was tall, about 6'2". Black hair and indigo eyes. He smiled at her. "let alone someone as pretty as you…" he said softly._

 _And her stupor was broken. She gave an unladylike snort. "Okay, sure," she replied. "I think you need glasses…"_

" _No, actually, my eyesight is pretty good. Apparently, yours could use some work, though," he joked, grinning._

" _Who are you?" she asked. He swept into a courtly bow that had her blushing. "Eugene A.J. Davis. At your service." He said, grinning. "And you are?"_

" _Uh. Psyche. Psyche Mallory." She said it softly. Gene blinked. "You wouldn't happen to be working with Mai Taniyama, would you?"_

" _Yes. She's a friend… and a classmate… and student."_

 _His gorgeous dark brow shot up. "Student?"_

" _I'm teaching her foreign languages. I'm…rather gifted with languages."_

" _Ah. Well, a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Mallory. I'm sorry that I pulled you into my astral projection…"_

" _N… no problem." She said._

Psyche awoke, wondering why Mai hadn't warned her about Eugene, but quickly shook it off when she saw that Mai and Anabelle were both talking to Korito-sensei.

"We still have one thing to do. If we can get him to come here…. Maybe there can be some closure.

"The man is in his 90's, Taniyama- or should I say Sullivan?" Korito stated. "Not only that, but he is still the head of that Yakuza family. You should fear an old man in a young man's job. Not go running off to see him."

"He's the reason she's dead. The reason she's attacking innocent people. I'm not going to pick a fight… I just want to talk to him. I mean, it isn't like I can call the police in the first place. The case has been cold for 70 years."

Korito-sensei glared. "You're not going by yourselves…"

"I'll go." Psyche grinned. "But sending Takeshi-san won't help." She looked at the other two. "Besides, worst comes to worst, I can incapacitate anyone who tries to touch me. I don't only heal with my Biokinesis… not to mention all the crap those two can do."

Korito sighed. She'd lost this battle, and she knew it. "Fine. IF you find him, do what you can." She muttered, shaking her head. Mai grinned. "Don't worry. I'm only a ghost magnet." She drawled.

"Bull. You're a _trouble_ magnet. And you damn well know it." Takeshi growled from the doorway. "I'll be accompanying you." He added.

The three girls nodded, and they left.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _London, England- Davis estate_

Luella Davis was proud to say that she knew her boys like the back of her own hand. Adopted or not, they were open books to her- even Oliver, though he would never admit to it. SO, when her boys (and her man) came in all in various degrees of moods, Eugene was grinning evilly at his twin, who looked colder and more remote than she'd seen in a while, and Martin, who looked rather confused, yet, at the same time ridiculously eager, she wanted to know what had happened.

She walked over and kissed her husband (the spark that had been there for years had not yet gone out, and she hoped it never would), she grinned as well. "SO, what's got you so happy, my love?" she asked. The professor grinned.

"Seven wonderful prospects, Lue. All with various abilities." Luella cocked her head to the side. "Oh?"

He chuckled. "I'll tell you about it later. Their teacher said she'd contact me as soon as she could."

Oliver let her kiss him on the cheek, as per usual, and then disappeared- more than likely to the library.

Eugene, however stolled over to her and hugged her, planting a kiss of his own on her cheek. Luella chuckled. Her miracle boys had come home.

"Mother, you won't _believe_ what just happened today." He snickered.

"Let's go into the kitchen, shall we, Gene. I want to hear all about it."

"Remember Mai Taniyama, mom? Oliver's assistant from Japan?"

"Oh, that sweet, pretty little thing? Yes. I remember her…" Luella sighed. She also remembered how the girl had looked so sad and lost at the airport when she, Martin and Oliver had gone home, and had prepared to bury their elder son- only for him to wake up, three days later, perfectly fine.

He had explained it, of course, and had also explained that in order for him to have come back to life… Oliver had had to kiss him.

That still made Luella giggle. Her younger son _hated_ contact of any kind, let alone pecking his brother on the cheek. But, he'd done it. Apparently, because of their connection as psychics and twins, it had worked as well as what was _supposed_ to have happened, which was a peck on the lips.

"Well, she called Yasuhara today." He continued. Luella nodded, thinking of the young man with the rather warped sense of humor with a wicked grin of her own. She liked the boy. It was good for Gene and Noll to have such diverse friends. "She needed help, trying to get another point of view on a case that she was working on."

Luella gasped. "A case, as in a haunting?" she asked, Eugene grinned and nodded. "Yep. Long story short, Noll decided to butt in and made a snippy little comment."

"Oh, not again…"

Eugene laughed. "Don't worry too much, mum. She gave as good as she got. Better, actually. Took a couple shots at him." Luella's blond eyebrow shot up. "Oh, really?" she asked, trying to think of the petite brunette who seemed as sweet as sugar firing back at her younger son's well aimed barbs.

"She did. I was so proud of her." He wiped a non-existant tear from his eye. Luella rolled hers. "Dear, if you spent as much time on your own research as you did trying to take shots at your brother, I daresay you'd be on your own way to _your_ third doctorate." Luella pointed out. Gene grinned and shrugged.

Then, he sighed and shook his head. "Mom, he needs her. I don't think he know how much… but she makes him… forget."

Luella frowned, not sure what to do with that. She decided that she would leave it alone… for the time being.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

Psyche and Anabelle watched with an almost terrified amazement as Mai lead them through the back alleys of Shibuya. She knew _exactly_ where she was going... Where _they_ were going.

If Mai had it _her_ way, she'd be leading a 90 year old man back to the place where he'd killed his 17 year old girlfriend at the age of nineteen. As she had experienced the death dream not once, but twice, Mai was (understandably) on the warpath where this case was.

Not that Korito-sensei had known that when she'd given the girls permission (as long as Takeshi-san was there, running herd). She probably wouldn't have agreed to it, had she been made aware.

Takeshi sighed as he followed his young, trouble attracting charge. Psyche and Anabelle had decided to stay closer to him rather than the other girl, who was speed-walking, anyway. When they finally reached the end of the unscheduled field trip, Takeshi sucked in a breath.

Mai knocked on the door three times.

A woman answered. She blinked as she looked at the smaller, definitely shaggier looking young woman. "Can I help you?" she asked softly.

Mai smiled. "Yes. I was wondering if a Kuronuma Yuru lives here?"

The woman's spine stiffened at the mention of her elderly employer. "Yes. He does. Who are you?"

Mai smirked, and looked directly into the maid's eyes. Her own eyes, usually a more reddish-brown color, shone gold for a few seconds.

Takeshi shighed. It was the onset of some of her more dangerous abilities. On cue, lightning forked across the formerly clear sky, as it started to rain. "An acquaintance of Mogami Yuki. I really need to speak with your boss." Her voice had become dangerously quiet.

"I've never heard of a Mogami Yuki."

"Your Kuronuma-san has." She stated simply. "Go ask if he recognizes the name. We'll wait…"

The maid nodded and then turned. Takeshi sighed. "using the actual name…" Mai grinned. "It'll get his attention much faster." She replied. "We don't have mch time. Yuki isn't going to stay dormant like that forever."

"I'm surprised that she isn't going at us all, already." Psyche grumbled. "Vengeful spirits like that are _really_ horrible sometimes."

"NO kidding," Mai grumbled, remembering her second ever case at SPR. "I had a case, with SPR, where the spirit of a mother who's child was kidnapped and murdered possessed a doll, before that, she'd spent her time killing off all the children who lived in the house after her."

Takeshi balked. "The doll was creepy enough, except she was also causing some nasty poltergeist activity… moving furniture, making the fire on the stove spread to the rest of the kitchen. Tried to drown both Ayami and myself…."

" _tried to what?"_ Anabelle gasped, looking over at her cousin in horror. Mai shrugged. "Not _even_ the worst case I had with SPR. Na- Ol... my boss tended to take the cases that interested him… which usually turned out to be dangerous."

The woman had reappeared as Psyche had opened her mouth to ask about her mysterious boss, who she already knew was named Oliver Davis, but then the maid started to talk.

"If you follow me, Kuronuma-sama will see you." She said.

Mai nodded, and they all started forward, but the woman stopped them. "This one only… right this way…."

"Momohara." Mai answered, grinning at the woman's response to the name. "Momohara Mai."

Takeshi groaned.

* * *

 _ **Okay, Next chapter, we meet the Murderer of Yuki. Stay tuned. Read and Review. I decided to explain a bit more about Eugene's resurrection (Guess that Anime!) I'm not saying this is a crossover… completely… but it's got some elements of crossover-ness.**_

 _ **As always, Thank you. AOP**_


	7. The Man Who Stole the Sun

_**And… chapter six, people. Man, this is ridiculous…. The end of this case… and the beginning of me playing with your emotions with my ridiculously slow burning relationship between Mai and Naru**_

 _ **It occurs to me that I forgot to do this a few times. DISCLAIMER: I own only my OC's. Ask Embla owns the song.**_

* * *

Chapter 6- The Man Who Stole the Sun

 _You took the sun and you waited_

 _I saw you when I saw the ray spark from your eyes then it faded_

 _and now there's only shades of gray_

 _and I can't tell the night from day_

 _I fell in love with a bad man. I fell with the man who stole the sun_

 _ **~Ask Embla- I Fell in Love**_

Mai followed the woman down the dark hallway. Her eyebrow rose as she looked around her. It was pretty spartan, she noted. Much like Yasuhara's bachelor pad had been before he'd left. "Don't touch anything…" the woman grumbled. Mai gave the woman a placating smile "Of course." She said.

The maid led her to a door, and then turned to her. "He won't be able to leave. Just so you know."

Mai snorted. She'd sent out her spiritual awareness the moment she'd stepped into the house, and had realized that the man was dying. "I realize that. He doesn't have much longer, does he?"

The woman shook her head. "No."

"This shouldn't take too long." Mai said. "I just want some answers. He's the only one who can give them to me…"

"Who is Mogami Yuki?" the maid asked. Mai snorted. "If he passes on before I leave, I'll tell you." She replied. "For now, it's _his_ business."

She walked into the room without another word.

The scene that awaited her was much like the scene at the hospital when she'd met, and then promptly lost, her grandmother. Kuronuma Yuru lay on the bed certainly seemed small, though, age, undoubtable played a hellish role in that. He was no longer the ridiculously handsome young man he'd been when he was 19.

His black hair had long since turned white and fallen out, his eyes were now a soft, filmy blue (blindness, Mai thought dimly. It was said that those who could not see had senses far better than many other humans, though that was neither here nor there). He was wrinkled and worn.

"I hear you've met Yuki…" the old man's voice wavered with age… with exhaustion. Mai snorted.

"You could say that… though I have to admit, she wasn't too nice about shoving me into her death scene." She drawled. He chuckled.

"Ironically, one of the things I loved about her was her fiery temper…" he murmured.

"And yet…" Mai drawled. "You killed her."

"And yet, I killed her." The old man agreed, nodding his head. He sighed. "The worst decision of my life was killing the woman I loved."

"You obviously didn't love her enough to follow through with your promise…. You stabbed her in the back."

"If I had not killed her, someone else would have." He stated. "I had tried to get out, had been in the life longer than I had known her."

"you could have _left_ with her."

"Yes, I could have. There are so _many_ things that I could have done. And yet, I chose the worst. And I chose to spend my life, with the knowledge that _I_ had been the one to kill my best friend and lover. That was my punishment."

"Other than the fact that you just weren't too keen on dying." Mai snorted.

The old man chuckled. "Ah, youthful disdane. You have suffered much in your young life…"

Mai rolled her eyes. "You killed her. You broke her heart, and her mind was lost when she looked down at her own body and realized what had happened. Now, she's nearly killed four different people because of what _you_ did to her."

He let out a cry. She snorted. "What's done is done, Oji-san. You already feel guilt over it…"

He closed his eyes. "I have done many things in my life." He said. "If what you say is true…" he broke off, and those eerie, blue eyes seemed to examine her.

A soft chuckle came out. "You are a bit like her. Stronger of mind… but I can almost feel the same type of heart of one who lets too much in."

"And look where that got me…" Mai grumbled. "I'm here, talking to a guy who's on his death bed. A man who killed the proclaimed love of his life?"

The chuckle came again. "And all I can say now, is that I am sorry for it."

"Yeah, well I have to go help her move on."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll be there to meet her." He murmured.

Mai watched for the second time in her life (since her powers started to develop) as the light left his body, and floated upwards to the light. No longer a 90-year-old man. She'd gotten the conformation that she needed. Now, all she had to do was convince Yuki that he was dead.

She walked out of the room. "Kuronuma-sama is dead." She told the woman. "He passed on already. As promised, I'll tell you who Mogami Yuki was."

The woman straightened up. Mai continued. "Mogami Yuki was Kuronuma-sama's first love… and his first victim. He murdered her 70 years ago to become the head of the Yakuza." The maid gaped at her. Mai shrugged, and showed herself out the door.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England_

The gang sat in the break room- well, all but Oliver and Martin, talking. Or, rather, some were talking. Others (Lin… Adrian) stayed silent, watching and listening as the others discussed the news that Mai (Whoever she was, Adrian thought) was on another case.

"I think that it's good. It's not like she didn't want to be a ghost hunter, anyway." Yasuhara said. Madoka grinned. "Too bad she isn't coming to Cambridge," she murmured.

Eugene laughed at this. Madoka, wondering what exactly the young man was laughing at, looked at her student. Lin cocked his head to the side, listening rather intently. Eugene shook his head. "you can't tell Noll." He snickered. "But… she may very well be coming to England. Father's thinking of inviting seven students from Tokyo university to study here. All of them have psychic abilities of some sort…. And I have a feeling one of them is Mai."

"Which is a good thing," Takigawa snorted. "Especially since, as we speak, Mai is probably getting attacked by the ghost she and her team are trying to cleanse. At least here, we can protect her…"

"Wait, what?" Finn asked. "Does she get attacked by ghosts often then?" Masako snorted, kimono sleeve over her mouth as she fixed Finn with her large, violet eyes. "Taniyama Mai," she said a grin on her face, "Is possibly the most accident-prone _being_ that I've ever met. She is not a _ghost_ magnet. She is a _trouble_ magnet. There is a target on her back that everything dangerous within a 100-kilometer radius seems to find with no problem."

Ayako sighed. "There's only two times that I can think of that she _wasn't_ the one attacked. The Urado case… and the case with the cursed house…"

"Mai was a target in the cursed house. The spirit that possessed Naru was actually headed for her. He kind of pushed her out of the line of fire." Takigawa pointed out. "So, really, only the Urado case."

Masako snorted. "She would have been, if she'd been the one to leave the room." She pointed out. "However, it was my foolish decision to leave."

Adrian's eyebrow shot up This girl sounded like more trouble than she was worth… then again… his brother was best friends with the girl next door, who could give this girl a run for her money.

He glared at nothing. If Anabelle wanted to run away like a scared little girl, that was up to her.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Tokyo, Japan_

Unknowing that she was the topic of discussion, Mai was indeed being attacked by the ghost of Mogami Yuki. Well, it wasn't only her. Anabelle and Psyche were also in the ghost's line of fire, while Takeshi had gotten everyone else out.

It turned out that in life, Mogami Yuki had had psychic abilities. multi-location to be exact. Abilities that were only strengthened in death.

As a fully-fledged poltergeist as well, the vengeful spirit could, indeed physically harm them with her aura, something that Mai found rather _annoying._ She hadn't actually dealt with a ghost since…. Well, since the case they had right before finding Eugene's body.

What was even more bizarre was the fact that she was actually fighting (physically, and not psychically) a spirit. That had never happened before. She performed the nine cuts, of course, but they seemed to have little effect on the supremely pissed of ghost.

So, Mai changed tactics. "Oh, come _on_!" she yelled, glaring at the translucent face of the girl she was currently hitting (It felt so weird, like hitting a wall of plasma) "Get _over_ it already. The one you want to punish isn't even _alive_ anymore!"

This seemed to make the ghost stop… but Mai wasn't done. "Do you honestly think that you're the _only_ one here who's had their heart broken?" she yelled. Yuki sneered.

 _Maybe not, but I'm the only one here who knows what it feels like to have a knife shoved through your heart- quite literally- by the one you love…._

Mai snorted. "Get real, Yuki." She snorted. "Did you forget that you shoved _me_ into your little death parade? _I_ know how you feel more than anyone… you made me _feel_ how you died."

 _Second hand emotions from a memory. You know_ nothing _of pain. You don't know what it's like to die._

Mai rolled her eyes. "Really? I know nothing of pain… just because I'm not dead doesn't mean that I don't know what it feels like to die." She growled.

Suddenly, she felt a thousand years old. Her voice softened. Yuki wasn't really fighting them anymore, and she motioned Anabelle and Psyche to get out. She stood, toe to toe with Yuki, knowing that this was the only way that the ghost would listen.

"I've felt what it was like to get my throat slit, simply because a madman wanted to bathe the blood of young people to stave off dying young." She said quietly. "I've jumped off a cliff and drowned with a lover that was not mine, was beheaded as a traitor in the aftermath of a rebellion, was drowned _two more times_. I know what it feels like to get my heart broken. And now, I know how it feels to get a knife shoved through my heart." She stared into Yuki's see-through-eyes.

"I gotta tell you, the knife wasn't so different to getting my heart broken." She said it softly. "But the thing is…The one who did this to you… the one who broke your heart… he isn't here. I watched him die."

That made Yuki gasp. _He's dead?_

Mai nodded. "The last thing he said was that he'd be waiting for you." She said. "He said that he regretted this." She sighed. "Moot point, as he did it for selfish reasons."

Yuki glared _He lived a full life… because of him, I was not able to do so myself._

Mai nodded. "Yes. That's true… but I think that he's the only one your thinking of, which is kind of stupid. There were others in your life. Your father and mother…."

 _How can I face my father? He was the one who warned me about Yuru._

"I don't think your father would care about that. I think he'd just want you happy. Personally, I want you to move on so you can go to the other world and _kick_ Yuru's sorry _ass_ for what he did to you." She smirked.

Yuki gaped, and then let out a laugh. _Do you think I can?_

"That's what I'd figure out, if I were you." Mai snorted. "But, you better go now." She motioned to the young woman. "The light was always there, Yuki. Don't let it go now… and punch him in the face for me…"

She smiled, and nodded.

Seconds later, Yuki's presence disappeared. Mai turned to face a slack-jawed Korito-sensei and an amused Takeshi.

" _That…_ has _got_ to be the weirdest cleansing that I've ever seen…" Korito-sensei whispered in awe. "You got her to move on by telling her that her dead murderer was waiting … and that she should go kick the crap out of him." Mai shrugged and grinned at her teacher.

"Whatever works…." She drawled, and then yawned. "Now, I want to go home… I'm tired."

And so, ended her first case in two years. When the eight of them finally got back to the mansion. They all went straight to bed. Tohru grumbled something about "not going to do this for a _very_ long time," while the twins proclaimed that the ghost had serious issues... to which Mai reminded them exactly _why_ she had issues, and said that not only was that point moot, but that Yuki had had every reason to be crazy.

Anabelle just maintained that she wanted to go to sleep, and Psyche was right behind her. Kuroda was still nursing her sprained wrist from some activity that had happened after Mai had gone to find Yuru-san.

Takeshi had just wanted to go and forget the whole thing. "Never again…" he muttered, knowing that it was probably going to happen… again.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University, England_

Martin Davis sat in his office, feeling more euphoric than he had when the Connolly twins had started to study with him. Korito, the parapsychology professor at Todai (as Madoka called it) had finally emailed him back.

She had included a case report, at the video footage from their last case. He watched as Mai Sullivan (he had deduced when one of the other girls- the one who looked like the girl on the screen had called her Mai) talked the ghost down… and her rather unorthodox way of getting the spirit to move on.

So enraptured with the case video was the doctor, that he did not notice Lin walk in. Just at the point where Mai spoke… or rather, yelled.

" _Do you honestly think that you're the only one here who's had their heart broken?"_ the Chinese man froze. His dark eye shot to the screen and it took all of his self- control not to gape. She looked… different. Her hair was longer. Tied up at the moment so that he couldn't tell how long it was. Her cinnamon eyes flashed with anger. She was no taller than she had been when he'd last seen her, but she was thinner, less baby fat. Her face was leaner.

She looked angry, but he would know that voice anywhere. It was Mai.

"Amazing, isn't she?" Martin grinned. "Her professor sent this to me. Apparently, the ghost was talking, but I guess the cameras didn't pick it up.

True to what the professor said, all that they heard after Mai's outburst was static. Mai gave a derisive snort, before answering whatever the ghost had said. _"Get real, Yuki. Did you forget that you shoved me into your little death parade? I know how you feel more than anyone… you made me_ feel _how you died."_

Martin gaped at this. "She's different, isn't she?" he said. Lin, however was starting to pale. She'd had another death vision then… he realized. He winced as he remembered the first one…

"Hey, what's up, Dad?" Eugene called cheerfully as he walked in. He froze when he saw the girl on the screen. "Holy… is that _Mai_?" he gasped. She spoke again, and Gene let out a yelp. "She's actually _hearing_ the ghost? She's having a _conversation?_ "

Lin nodded in abstract horror as Mai's answer fell on his ears.

" _Really? I know nothing of pain…? just because I'm not dead doesn't mean that I don't know what it feels like to die."_

Eugene winced. "Crap…" he looked at Lin. "we shouldn't let the others see this one…." He muttered. But Mai wasn't done.

" _I've felt what it was like to get my throat slit, simply because a madman wanted to bathe the blood of young people to stave off dying."_ She said quietly. " _I've jumped off a cliff and drowned with a lover that was not mine, was beheaded as a traitor in the aftermath of a rebellion, was drowned two more times. I know what it feels like to get my heart broken. And now, I know how it feels to get a knife shoved through my heart."_

She sounded so… old, Eugene thought dimly. Though he couldn't blame her.

" _I gotta tell you, the knife wasn't so different to getting my heart broken."_ She said it softly. " _But the thing is…The one who did this to you… the one who broke your heart… he isn't here. I watched him die."_

Martin was gazing at the screen in abstract awe. "Amazing. Simply _amazing_." He whispered. "She's a medium… she must be the one who can astral project… to see these things…"

While he did not feel comfortable with the idea that a young girl had seen so much death in her life, it was difficult for Martin to not be utterly exited to see this girl's abilities for himself. Having a son of his own who experienced death visions, he knew that they took their toll on the psyche. If he could, he wanted to help.

As deep in thought as he was, he nearly missed the words she spoke to get the ghost to move on _…."I don't think your father would care about that. I think he'd just want you happy. Personally, I want you to move on so you can go to the other world and kick Yuru's sorry_ ass _for what he did to you."_ She smirked. Eugene gaped.

" _That's what I'd figure out, if I were you." Mai snorted. "But, you better go now." She motioned to the young woman. "The light was always there, Yuki. Don't let it go now… and punch him in the face for me…"_

At this point, Eugene laughed. "Well, that's one way to go…" he snickered, grinning at his former… student through the screen. And then, he saw _her_.

Not the ghost. He'd already _seen_ that…. But the girl who walked in after Yuki had moved on. Dark hair- almost black, layered, falling just past her shoulders. Her eyes were green. It was the girl he'd met while trying to astral project himself into Mai's Astral projection. Psyche Mallory.

She was just as pretty on the video as she had been in the projection.

"Eugene, are you all right," Martin asked, sending his elder son a quizzical look as his attention seemed to be taken by something on the computer screen.

"Yes. Dad. Just… thought I saw something." He said, recovering. Then, he turned to his father with a quick grin. "Are you going to invite them to study at Cambridge?" he asked.

"That was my intention…." The professor replied, almost sheepishly. "they seem to have a wide range of psychic abilities."

Gene chuckled. "I'm sure they'll take you up on it…" he smirked. Lin grinned as well, knowing what it would mean for them. For Oliver.

Looks like the gang was getting _all the way_ back together, Lin thought. He should tell Madoka….

"Though, after the verbal chew out over the phone… Noll's going to get whiplash…" Eugene's smirk deepened. "Oh, I can't wait." He chuckled darkly.

He then remembered the latest prank he'd pulled off with Yasuhara on Oliver, and decided to make himself scarce… in two seconds.

The strangled, (manly) yelp from the other office sounded, and Eugene grinned. "Gotta go, see you at home dad. Tell Yasuhara I'll pray for him…" he called as he started out of the office.

"Also, please tell him that it's not permanent…"

Martin's eyebrow shot up as he watched his elder son make himself scarce… and then heard another scream. This one, admittedly less manly, as his other son roared " _Yasuhara!"_

Martin chuckled as his furniture started to shake. "Aah…" he murmured, as the aforementioned young man ran past, heading for the exit… and saw his son, who's hair was… a vivid shade of _orange_ stalked after him.

Martin gagged on his tea.

Lin sighed. Laughter sounded throughout the building.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Momohara Mansion, Tokyo, Japan_

It took three more days for Mai to recover. She hadn't realized how much energy she had used. It hadn't just been her, either. The twins had been forced to use their telepathy almost non-stop, as had Anabelle. Psyche had had to take care of all the wounds- which she was still learning how to do. Kuroda had been defending herself with her PK.

The only one who really hadn't used a bunch of energy had been Tohru, who had been busy _suppressing_ it so that she didn't hurt anyone. Sakurako had commented on their lack of energy at dinner, as they were all sluggishly trying _not_ to fall asleep as they ate.

"What on earth were you up to?" she gasped.

"Heartbroken teenage girl…" Mai grumbled. "Can we not, tonight? I'm _really ti….erd…"_ she yawned, causing an outbreak. Sakurako sighed. "Oh, whatever…" she muttered, shaking her head.

The group trudged to their rooms, and fell asleep in a matter of seconds- or, at least, Sakurako figured they did. She didn't see them until three days later.

She'd gotten an email from the professor, saying that classes had been cancelled a bit- more than likely because of the same reason.

Three days later, Mai stumbled downstairs, phone in her hand. "Sure, Andy-san. I'll come by. It's no problem… See you then."

She hung up and grinned at Sakurako. "Andy- san may have something for me." She said, answering the unspoken question.

"Something…?"

"Andrea says she has something that she wants to tell us." She said, as she grabbed her jacket, calling for Takeshi and Kuroda.

"But you just got _finished_ with a case." Sakurako said, bewildered. "A case that you're _still_ recovering from."

"Yeah, because it's been a long time since I used my powers that way." She, running out as Kuroda walked into the foyer, frowning. "Did Mai call?"

"Yes. Bookstore. Andy." Kuroda perked up. "Oh, _awesome_! It's been _ages_!" she sang. Takeshi sighed. "I suppose I'm taking them?" he asked his aunt, dark eyebrow raised. Sakurako smirked. "Well, you _are_ the butler." She reminded him. "And the chauffeur." The younger man groaned, good naturedly.

Kuroda laughed as she ran after Mai, calling out for the other woman to wait.

"For twenty-year-olds, they're sure excitable…" Takeshi murmured, eyes on the door that the dark-haired girl had just run out of. Sakurako smirked.

"Surprisingly happy for their line of work…" the woman murmured. "And childlike is just Mai's personality. She drags everyone else with her." Takeshi shrugged as he trudged after the girls.

The bookshop had not changed all that much, Mai thought, a bit bigger than last she saw it. More employees. She was glad that it was doing all right. When Andrea came out, though, the young woman's eyes went wide as dinner plates.

She hadn't seen Andrea and Kyou in half a year, but… wow. Andrea was _very_ pregnant. The woman grinned. "You've been busy with school… but we found out a few days after you moved." The woman said laughing.

"Obviously, you've been busy as well," Mai grinned back, jerking her head to the shop. Andrea laughed. "Oh, yeah. You have _no_ idea. Between this and the triplets…"

Mai spluttered. " _Triplets?!"_ she gasped. Takeshi sat up straighter, and Kuroda let out a squeal. Andrea smirked. "Yeah. Runs in the family. It was a pretty big surprise to us, too. I guess that's why I'm so big…" she grinned.

Kyou came out then, and glared at his wife. "You also shouldn't be standing…" he growled, leading her to one of the outdoor tables for the café. Andrea smirked. "Overprotective…" he snorted. "I'm right and you know it."

Mai and Kuroda sat as well. "So, what's new with you… besides the obvious?" Mai grinned at the woman's large stomach. Andrea laughed. "Not much… Though I actually called you with another thing in mind…" she said.

Mai grinned sheepishly. "Sounded interesting." She said. Andrea snorted. "Of course." She said, dotingly. She knew how Mai was about ghosts. "So, I did some digging myself before calling you."

Mai laughed. "Another unsurprising thing." She drawled. Andrea shrugged. "I _like_ research. One of the reasons I opened a book shop." She smirked at the younger woman. "Moving on, have you ever heard of a Mexican ghost called _La Llorona_?" she asked

Mai shook her head.

"Well, the story is interesting. As one of the versions of the story goes, _La Llorona_ found her husband had been unfaithful to her, and, in a fit of insanity brought on by grief and betrayal, she killed her own children. Afterwards, when she'd realized what she'd done, she killed herself, as well. When she got to the great, pearly gates, God asked her where her children were, and she replied that she didn't know. After that, she was forced to wander the river where she drowned her children for eternity, looking for them.

The thing is, in Mexico, where the story originates- at least _La Llorona_ \- because there are many more stories like hers- she preys on children she finds wandering around. The other stories like hers, all women who, in a fit of manic despair, killed their children and then themselves after they came back to sanity, go after unfaithful men…" she frowned.

"Now, my friend in England, is kind of scared, because her sister's boyfriend, who my friend _knows_ was cheating on her sister, is missing, and her sister is frantic. They can't find him anywhere, and There's a story similar to _La Llorona_ , where they live in Bast."

Mai was gaping in amazement by the end of the story. " _That_ sounds interesting…" Mai grinned, and Kuroda groaned at the almost manic look on the brunette's face, before she turned to Andrea.

"Does your friend know about BSPR? They work with this kind of stuff…" Andrea looked Kuroda and frowned.

"Now that you mention it, she did say something about calling someone, but they said it was out of their league; to call BSPR. But my friend doesn't know if they would take the case."

Mai snorted, thinking of Na- Ol- Dr. Davis, before shaking her head. "Oh, they'd take it. IT's right up their ally. Or, at least one of them… trust me. Tell your friend to give them a call." Andrea's eyebrow shot up.

"I didn't know you knew people in BSPR, Mai…"

"For nearly two years, I didn't, either." Came the cryptic, dark reply.

Takeshi, who had been in the store, came out, talking on his phone. He hung up, and looked at his charges. "Mai, Kuroda, we've got to go. Something came up, and Korito-sensei is on her way over."

The two 20-year-olds looked at each other in confusion. They had thought that Korito-sensei would be at home resting as well, after the last few days. Apparently not, though… They shrugged, and turned back to say goodbye to Andrea.

"Before you two go…. I have a favor to ask of you…" she said it softly. Mai and Kuroda both looked at her quizzically before she spoke again.

"I was hoping that each of you would be godmothers to my children…." She said. Time froze. Kuroda gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. Mai burst into happy tears, and hugged the pregnant woman. Takeshi and Kyou (both of whom were oddly used to the outburst of emotions) stood by, waiting for the scene (that _many_ people were turning to see) to end.

"I'll take that as a yes, then…?" Andrea asked the two girls. Mai was too moved to speak, so she just nodded, while Kuroda croaked out an affirmative.

"Okay, girls… come on, time to go home." Takeshi drawled, as the scene wound down. As touching as it was, they had to get back. The man turned to Andrea and Kyou. "You can stop by the mansion at any time, you know."

They grinned and nodded. "Don't think I'll be going there, soon, though." Andrea heaved a long-suffering sigh, "Not with this overprotective lug." Kyo snorted. "After the babies are born…"

"Right, right."

Takeshi grinned at the bickering couple and got in the car.

Korito-san was already waiting for them at the mansion when they returned. The odd thing was… while Anabelle, Tohru, Emiko, Izumi, and Psyche looked like they were about to celebrate, Sakurako looked rather worried.

It was Psyche who spotted Mai and Kuroda. She let out a squeal and bounded over to them. Without preamble, she wrapped Mai into a hug. "We got invited to study at Cambridge!" she all but screamed.

Mai froze.

Cambridge…..

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge, England_

"You finally did it, dad?" Eugene grinned at the professor. Martin nodded. "Well, it wasn't as if I could do it when I wanted to… they were on a case." He pointed out. Eugene jerked his head.

"But they're coming?"

"They did send in their formal reply, saying as such." Martin said. "Why are you so interested, Gene?" he didn't take an interest in new prospects like Oliver did. Oliver was the researcher, through and through. Eugene was a spiritualist, a medium.

Eugene smiled guilelessly. "No reason, dad." He said, the sheer innocence in his voice set the professor off, however. He knew that tone all too well. "Eugene, what is going on?"

His elder son's smile turned into a smirk. "Does Noll know?"

"yes, he knows. In fact, I've asked him to work with Miss. Sullivan."

At that, Gene gave a start. "Sullivan?" he asked. Martin grinned. "Yes, easily the most, er, diversely talented in the group, with Miss. Fitzgerald right behind her."

Eugene must have heard wrong. "What's her full name?" he asked. This was a question that Martin would expect from the medium. He liked being on a first name basis.

"Mai. Her grandmother was the late Megumi Momohara." He grinned. "It was Miss. Sullivan who did the cleansing on the tape we saw."

Eugene let out a breath. So… it _was_ the real Mai. He had nothing to worry about, except… "Has Noll seen the video?" he asked his father. Martin shook his head. "NO… unfortunately… I accidentally deleted it off my computer. I did send a request for Professor Korito to send me a CD copy…"

Eugene thanked whatever deity was out there for this serendipitous turn of events. He chuckled to himself, though, at the prospect of seeing his brother's reaction to seeing Mai after almost three years as he strode out of his father's office.

This was going to get fun.

* * *

 _ **Finally… the moment you've all been waiting for… coming next chapter. Sorry. After the cleansing of Yuki, it got pretty filler-ish, but it had to happen. When the girls get to England is when things really start getting going, as England is where Mai starts her research (for her grandmother), as well as reunites with SPR, since they're all working with BSPR right now.**_ _**…For those of you worried, don't be. I ship Mai and Naru hardcore. I just think he needs to crawl a bit, as the whole thing about Naru's reaction really pissed me off. Other pairings have already been hinted if you've been paying attention. Read and Review.**_

 _ **Until Next time, AOP**_


	8. All Time Low

_**So, from now on, all other languages besides English will be in italics. Also, this, my readers, is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Reunion time! Naru gets to meet his new partner…. Mai (cough Taniyama cough) Sullivan. For those of you who are confused, Mai's father was an Irishman. He and Mai's mother took Mai's great-grandmother's maiden name, but**_ **his** _ **surname was Sullivan.**_

* * *

 _Chapter 7- All Time Low_

 _I was the night in shining armor in your movie_

 _Would put your lips on mine and love the aftertaste_

 _Now, I'm a ghost, I call your name, you look right through me_

 _You're the reason that I just can't concentrate._

 _ **~John Bellion- All Time Low (clean version)**_

It took a while to get everything ready. A month, in fact. After the initial freak-out (which Takeshi swore to have lost some of his hearing), they started to get ready right away. Then, they wondered where they were going to stay- a problem that was fixed right away by Sakurako (who would be coming with them) that Mai owned a mansion in England rather close to Cambridge as well.

This had startled Mai, who had just barely come to grips with the fact that she had _one_ mansion, let alone _two._ Unknown to her, Sakurako had refrained from telling Mai about the townhouse in Venice, the Beach house in Greece, and the countryside cottage in France.

From what Takeshi had told Mai, her mansion in England is where Megumi had actually spent much of her time, which somehow made it easier. The e-mail from Dr. Davis had told them that they were being given a week to settle in.

Then, there was the fact that most of them (all but Takeshi, Sakurako, Anabelle and Psyche) needed the necessary papers to get out of the country- and thankfully, none of them were minors (under 20), so, none of them had to go through nasty familial scene (as most of them were not on good terms with their families).

Anabelle and Psyche, who had actually _come_ to the country to study had the least problems, though both called their parents to let them know what was going on. Mai was full scholar mode, though, after the news.

She finally had a chance to start her grandmother's research. She couldn't wait.

It wasn't until they got on the plain that Mai realized the full implications of working at Cambridge University… and the beginnings of the implications had a name- well, _more_ than one name. Kazuya Shibuya. Naru. Oliver Davis. She had frozen in the terminal for a few seconds (before Psyche had told her to get a friggin' move on) as she realized this.

She'd gotten on the plan anyway. There was no time to overthink this…. And she was excited to see everyone else.

Anabelle had realized early that where one brother was, the other was sure to be, as well. After Mai had called her friend in BSPR, and, consequently, Finn, she realized that Adrian was there, as well. That… well that was something that she hadn't been worried about until now.

She had applied to Cambridge University before choosing Todai because of the whole fiasco with him in the first place (She could say that she was embarrassed now, at her own behavior. She'd run away like a scared little girl, after all. For nearly a year). Maybe, she thought, just maybe, he had missed her.

Not that that was likely.

Psyche was… well, psyched. She'd never been to England before- odd, considering that it was one of the places that her parents had always wanted to go… but never seemed to have the time. She couldn't wait to see it. She also wondered about that dream that she'd had during the case.

She'd seen the picture of the two boys Mai kept in her room- they all had. No one had asked about it, though, sensing the taboo topic.

Tohru and the twins had never been out of the country, much like Mai, though in all honesty, while Mai was more focused on her studies, the three of them were dying to go sightseeing- even with Mai pointing out that they'd be there for three years at _least_.

There was also the fact that Mai had dual citizenship in Ireland and Japan- something she hadn't known until Anabelle had pointed it out, which made things even easier (for Mia, at least).

The trip was hell.

Though they were first in the first-class seats (courtesy of Sakurako booking the flight), they hit turbulence, Emiko and Izumi both got airsick, and Tohru turned out to be a really crabby flier. And that was only the first half. When they switched planes, Anabelle's luggage got lost, and Psyche nearly slept through the boarding of the next plane- they had to rush back through the terminal to get her (She was a _sleepy_ traveler)

Mai sat through the whole thing on her computer, or asleep (some things never change).

By the time they got to England, everyone was crabby, tired, and suffering from jet lag… and fell into the first beds available. Or, at least everyone fell into bed besides Mai, who decided to get first dibbs on the rooms. Since it _was_ her house, she thought with a grin.

She used her senses to 'feel' around, so to speak. As Mai had promised not to hold her powers back, any more, she had changed. Kind of, anyway. The territorial mindset had gotten a bit stronger. Her senses, always oddly good, had gotten even better.

She could sense auras now. The dead, the living and animals. She used this ability as she walked through the mansion. It was the tower room next to the library that made her stop. She shivered, and walked back to it.

Warm. Comforting. Familiar…

She frowned, and cocked her head to the side. Her dark eyes narrowed in confusion. Why did she sense _him_ … here? In her house? She reached out for the handle of the door, and hesitated before she let her skin touch the metal of the handle.

 _Mate…_ part of her whispered. Like a breath of air, soft and soothing.

She chose to ignore it, of course… whatever that was… she shook her head and entered the room.

It was a normal room, she knew. The study that came with it didn't seem like it had been used that much. It was like her room at home (when had she started calling the Momohara mansion _home?_ ), which was more comforting than anything… the extra warmth from the aura she'd felt was a plus- though she didn't know who the one who used this room (quite a bit if the man's black undershirt and button- up that had been left there was any indication), but she did know that she recognized that smell.

From where, she couldn't remember.

She sighed, but realized that, at the moment, she _didn't_ care. All she wanted was to do was fall on the large (ridiculously comfortable- looking) bed and sleep. And that she did. She was asleep before her head hit the pillows.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _London, England_

Oliver didn't know _what_ exactly was going on. Every time he tried to find out (usually by checking in Eugene's mind), all he heard was a variety of songs, loud, and drowning out any other thought. Usually, it was of the Rock variety… which Oliver didn't mind, but at the same time…

He glared at Eugene, who's innocent expression was so obviously _fake_ that it made Oliver want to snarl. He wasn't happy- especially after the orange hair incident. It had lasted a week before it washed out again. He had to deal with Yasuhara and Takigawa snickering behind his back with his traitorous brother.

His traitorous brother who was keeping secrets from him. Oliver's glare intensified. The _last_ time that Eugene had kept secrets, Oliver had ended up flying to Japan to find his _body_. Eugene sighed. "Stop worrying so much, Noll. Nothing bad is going to happen." Nothing to him, anyway, Eugene thought

Oliver didn't stop glaring. "Then why are you keeping things from me?" he snapped, dark mood getting worse. His teacup rattled, the untouched tea dripped over the edges of the porcelain with his annoyance. The temperature in the room dropped.

Eugene sighed. "I swear, Noll, you will find out soon. I don't to tell you because it's a surprise.

"If it's something about Miss Sullivan…" Oliver started. Eugene snorted at the thought of who his brother's partner would _really_ be.

"Something like that…" he returned cryptically, before walking out of the room. He turned back to his brother and smirked. If he wasn't going to _drink_ the tea, why did he ask for it in the first place?

He snickered. He couldn't _wait_ until next week.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall, England_

When she woke, Mai almost panicked… this was _not_ the room she was used to… and then, she remembered that she wasn't in Japan anymore. She let out a breath and got up. Still in the clothes that she'd been in the last few days on the plane. She made a face and immediately went to the bathroom.

Thirty minutes and a hot shower later, Mai felt almost human again… also, really hungry. She padded downstairs… or, well tried to… She didn't know where she was going….. it was a maze and she didn't know how she'd gotten to where she was in the first place, let alone how to get to the main floor, or the kitchen.

She frowned. Now, she thought, would be a good time to use her aura sensing ability… find her way down the stairs. She finally found her way down twenty minutes later, and breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Thank god…_ " she muttered in Japanese, spotting Takeshi. "Where's everyone else?" she asked, when he looked up.

"Out sightseeing. Sakurako took the rest of them to London. We couldn't find you, and I highly doubt you would have woken up in the first place." Mai snorted. "you're probably right." She conceded.

Takeshi smirked. "If you want me to, I can take you to London. I know where they went."

Mai shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow." She said. "I want to look around after I eat."

"Be careful in the forest, Mai. They reintroduced wolves to the area…" he warned. Mai's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded. "Deer problem." He smirked. Mai shrugged. "When's the last time someone got killed by a wolf, Takeshi-san?" she asked with a grin.

He shook his head. "Nevertheless, Mai." She just grinned, turned, trying to figure out where the kitchen would be. Takeshi watched in amusement as his charge tried in vain to find the direction of the kitchen.

"To your let, Mai." He drawled. She spun around and pointed. "Right!" she called, heading in the direction that Takeshi had pointed.

She tried not to think about the sheer size of the place as she walked. "I could probably fit a _car_ in here…" she muttered. "I'm getting a workout just trying to find my way around here…"

She finally made it to the kitchen… and was immediately slapped in the face with how rich her grandmother was, once again (as if the huge ass mansion wasn't enough, the kitchen was a state of the art, chrome appliances, subzero fridge…

"Well, who do we have here?" Mai let out a shriek as the voice sounded behind her. She spun around, hand up, ready to perform the nine cuts.

"Oh, dear… don't worry… I'm not a ghost." The woman chuckled. Mai relaxed. "Sorry…" she said.

"Not to worry, dear," the woman grinned. "Mary's the name. Mary Masters. I'm the cook." Mai let out a breath. "Mai Taniyama… Megumi Momohara's granddaughter."

"Oh, I know who you are, Meg and I had many a conversation about you… and her daughter." She smirked. "Finally get to meet you."

Mai shuffled her foot. "Nice to meet you, as well." She said.

"Now," Mary grinned. "If I'm right- and I usually am, you came down for a spot of breakfast… well, lunch, now." Mai nodded.

"Well, sit at the counter there and I'll fix you something. Would you like tea?" Mai's smile bloomed. "Yes, please." She said. Though she usually made her own tea, it was nice to have someone else make it sometime.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University_

Soon… Eugene thought as he checked the calendar. Their father had given the new students from Japan a week to rest and get accustomed to England. Frankly, Eugene was antsy. He couldn't wait to see Mai again- though he'd only seen her during her astral projections before, and had never met her in person. Not really.

Then, a flash of green eyes and darker brown hair took over his mind. The image must have been strong because it had been enough to jerk Oliver out of his research for a few seconds to glare at him. "What was _that?_ Or, _who_ was that, I should ask.

"Psyche Mallory," Eugene muttered. "We'll be meeting her in person soon, anyway. She's going to be in the group from Japan." He muttered. "She's American, but she'd been studying at Tokyo University." He explained.

"That explains _who_ that was, but not why you know her…" Oliver said, interest peaked. Eugene sighed. "I don't know… I accidentally Astral projected on her, trying to get to Ma- err, Miss. Sullivan. Dad said she could astral project…" Eugene grinned.

Oliver blinked. "you made it all the way to Japan?" he asked, his interest only increased. Eugene grinned. "Of course. The Astral Plane… doesn't really have a distance. I can astral travel to someone the farthest distance away from my person, with no trouble at all… as long as _they_ are on the astral plane."

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall, England_

Mai was in awe. She had a _forest_ in her back yard. She let out a squeal. There was a barn not far from the house- probably used for horses at one point or another, Mai figured. "Oh, this is going to be fun." She said.

She giggled as she went back into the house. She had a _week_ to explore her house- well, at least, the place she'd be live for most of her time for the next three years. It wasn't as if she didn't have time. She went back into the house. Takeshi sighed.

"When you said to be careful of wolves, I didn't think you'd mean… in my backyard," she grinned.

Takeshi snorted. "I meant in general. You are an _expert_ at finding danger, Mai. Can you blame me?"

Mai laughed "Okay. Okay I see your point. I'm going to explore the house more." She responded. "I live in a freaking castle… I need to know my way around…" Takeshi shrugged. "Call me if you need me. I'll send one of my shiki." He called after her as she left.

"Okay, Takeshi." She called back.

She went back to her room, and noticed with a start that her bags had been brought up. She grinned. The staff here was great. She giggled, and then yawned, a wave of exhaustion coming over her.

Maybe a nap would be nice first…

Though she'd only just woken up… She frowned in confusion, even as she tried to make her way to the bed. She was so tired, suddenly, that she could hardly stay up.

' _Astral projection,'_ she thought dimly as she made it to the bed. _'I thought I was done getting pulled into these….'_

' _Evidentially not…'_

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow…

 _ **I can't go home… I can never go home…**_

 _ **She looked toward the house in desolation. Anger filled her for the first time.**_

 _ **This is**_ **his** _ **fault…**_

 _ **All his fault.**_

 _ **He caused this….**_

Mai blinked as she awoke. She immediately grabbed a notebook. Lovely. She had another one. Must be a case that BSPR was about to go work out… though… it felt oddly familiar… She couldn't say _how_ … but she knew that it was. She wrote down everything that she could. Emotions mostly. She snorted a bit as she realized that that was all she got out of this one.

There would be more, she supposed. But… they hadn't come with this intense clarity of emotions before. She sighed, and pointed to the fireplace, which lit up instantly. She was really good at that now. She and Anabelle had actually started to work on her control over the earth and plants before travelling to England. She was halfway through _that_ training now.

She'd have to tell Professor Davis- Martin Davis, that was, before they went on the case. That wouldn't be too much of a problem, would it…?

Then again, she had also gotten an e-mail from the professor informing her that she'd be working with…. Oliver because of her PK-ST, which was something that she shared with him. She was anxious about that. She knew how he was (how could she not, she'd worked with him for nearly two years, at times, the group had all slept in the same room), she was well aware of his nuances and his inability to be _nice_.

She was ridiculously aware that she was still _very_ much in love with him.

It was really too bad he was still probably a prick.

Her dark eyes narrowed as she looked around the room to the black button up oxford that lay on the window seat. She hadn't bothered to move it far the night before…. She frowned as she folded it- and the black undershirt- and put them both in the armoire.

She didn't know who they belonged to… so they'd just stay there for now. Until she figured out what to do with them.

She perked up when the others' auras came into her rage. They were back. She supposed that it was time for them to pick their rooms. She snickered at the thought, as she rushed down the stairs. "So… how was London?" she called as she reached the foyer.

Kuroda laughed. "oh, it was great. After we got to see the Buckingham palace, we went to Westminster Abbey. Beautiful place."

"You forgot Big Ben…. And the London Eye." Anabelle grinned. "God, it's been so long since I've seen that…" she sighed in contentment. "I've forgotten how lovely London was…"

"How was your nap, Mai?" Psyche asked with a laugh. "You missed _everything…_ " Mai rolled her eyes. "I didn't miss _everything._ I just figured that before I went anywhere, I should know how to get around the place that I live…"

"We have three years to get that right…" Tohru sneered playfully.

"And we have three years to see London and all of surrounding England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, as well, so…really, either way…" Mai smirked.

"Besides, she didn't want to risk running into… _him…_ You know… _he who must not be named…_ " Emiko snickered

"She knows Voldemort? I thought he was a _fictional_ character." Izumi smirked.

Mai rolled her eyes. "He's _not_ Voldemort. And you _can_ speak his name-"

"At the risk of setting off a _poltergeist_ attack, yeah," Kuroda drawled. Mai glared this time, as she spoke to her friend. "I do _not_ start a poltergeist anymore whenever his name is said…" she grumbled, "And for the record, it used to be whenever he was _mentioned_ , not just his name..."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that." Izumi said thoughtfully. "She used to set off a nasty one everytime someone _alluded_ to him."

Her twin nodded. "Too true. I remember those days now that you mention it…"

Takeshi sighed. "I think it's time for lessons, Mai. Follow me…"

Sakurako sighed in relief. "Thank god. The teacup was starting to shake." She grumbled, then looked at the others. "Did you lot _have_ to do that?" she asked.

Properly chastised, the other girls winced and hung their heads. "I suppose we should apologize for that…" Kuroda sighed, though she looked almost forlorn in the direction that Sakurako's nephew had just left. Sakurako had noticed, and smirked.

'This might get interesting,' she thought as the young telekinetic stared.

"So, time to pick your rooms." Sakurako said. "Actually, Kuroda, I have a room that you might like…" she grinned, knowing that she was meddling… and not caring. Kuroda looked at her, and nodded, following after Sakurako as she walked away.

She looked at the rest of them. "Mai's room is the Tower room next to the library… third floor" she said with a smirk. "So… Psyche, if I were you, I'd take the one right across the hall from hers."

Psyche nodded, though she didn't know why the older woman had said that. Shouldn't it be Anabelle? She was Mai's cousin, after all…

Then again, who was she to argue. She grabbed her duffle bag and started up the stairs. Upon entering her new room, she gasped.

Much like Mai's, her room held a slightly more masculine feel to it. It was familiar, and comfortable. She didn't know _why_ , though.

She smiled slightly as she sat her bag down next to the dresser, before she sighed, and sat on the chair next to the desk. "Well, this is home for the next few years…" she murmured. Then, she got back up and started toward the door. "I wonder what the library looks like." She murmured.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _London, England_

Oliver felt his brother's impatience like it was his own- which was amazingly distracting. He growled as he shut the book he'd been reading. Loudly. Eugene didn't even look up. "Eugene." He growled. "could you keep it down?" he hissed. "It's distracting."

Eugene looked over at him, and the now cold, untouched tea in front of him. " _Why_ do you keep getting the tea, if you _never_ drink it?"

Oliver didn't respond, but Eugene smirked as, though their mental bond, a girl with short, brown hair with red lowlights and reddish-brown eyes appeared.

"Hm… well, isn't _that_ interesting?" he drawled, indigo eyes narrowing as his eyebrow shot up. A knowing grin spread slowly over his face.

Oliver glared. "I _don't_ know what you're talking about, Eugene." He growled as he picked up his cup and took a sip, grimacing as the cold liquid hit his tongue.

Eugene snickered. "Sure, you don't." he drawled. Then frowned. "What're you readin, anyway?" he asked.

"I'm _trying_ to read up on my new… partner's abilities. Again, you're distracting me." He muttered.

Eugene snorted. "Only a few more days, Oliver." He murmured. "What do you think they're like?" he asked.

"I don't know… and it's pointless to ask that, until we meet them," Oliver said cooly, as he opened his book again.

Eugene snorted. "By the way, Saying you don't know what I'm talking about, _while_ you're thinking about what I'm talking about doesn't help your case. I know _damn_ well that you don't drink tea anymore because it doesn't taste as good as when _Mai_ made it." he smirked as he looked at his brother.

Frost formed on the cup as the younger twin glared. "What do you mean, I don't _drink tea_ anymore?" he grumbled. "I get at least ten cups a _day_."

"And you don't drink it until I point out that it's cold, and you don't like it." he drawled.

"That is _not_ true." Oliver snapped.

"Whatever you say, idiot scientist." Eugene sneered, as he walked to the door of the library. As he left, he put an image into his brother's mind.

Wide, tear-filled red-brown eyes, trembling lips, in Tokyo airport as he said goodbye.

Eugene himself wasn't there to see that. He was still dead, still waiting to be brought back to life… however, his brother had thought about it quite a bit for a while.

Really, Eugene was just bringing back the last memory that his brother had of Mai. He heard a crash as he left, making his smirk grow. He chuckled as he walked down the hallway. "Really, Noll," he muttered. "You're in denial."

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall, England- Five Days Later_

Once again, there was a mad struggle to get out the door the first day. Takeshi secretly considered the ramifications of just leaving without them (all but Mai, who had serenely walked into the dining room for breakfast, earlier than usual, and completely ready to go, as well as Psyche, who just looked really nervous).

He knew he'd have hell to pay if he dared to do that. Of that, at least, he was certain. His aunt would kill him. More importantly, he'd have five very, _very_ angry girls at him. Worse, he'd have five very _emotional_ girls to deal with… Knowing some of them, there would most definitely be tears. He winced at the thought.

The one thing that he couldn't stand where tears…. They drove him nuts. He groaned.

Twenty minutes later, they were _finally_ ready, and they were on the road.

Mai gave him a smile and thanked him when they reached Cambridge. She looked oddly calm. The onmiyoji frowned as he looked at his student, knowing by now when she was hiding her emotions. "It's going to be _fine,_ Mai." He told her. She just smiled.

"Thanks, Takeshi." She said as she drove away.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge_

Gene blinked as he entered the lab. They were already there, or, six of the seven were there. The seventh was missing… and he knew _exactly_ who it was. Lin frowned as well (well, deeper than usual. Lin, like Oliver, didn't smile overmuch)

It was the girl with dark, dark brown hair who walked up to him that caught his attention then. "Psyche Mallory." She said softly. "You're Eugene Davis, right?"

Eugene gave her a quick grin "Gene. Please." He said, taking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss. Mallory."

"She went to go get some tea. One of the others, Finn, he took her."

"Who?"

"Mai."

"How did you know…?" Eugene was confused. From what he'd heard about this girl, the only power she possessed was Biokinesis.

"That's true, I only really have Biokinesis." She smiled wryly.

"Did I say that out loud?" He asked, startled. He hadn't meant to. She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you did. I don't mind. I only knew that you were wondering about her because she was the only one not here…. And because she's the only one who you have a history with."

"You… know about that?" he asked Psyche snorted. "Oh, it took some time to get the whole thing out of her, but yes."

Oliver waked in behind Martin, and Eugene had to stiffen. Oliver didn't seem to notice. "here we go…" he muttered, Psyche muffled a snort. "Indeed…" She muttered back, jerking her head toward the door leading to the kitchenette.

Where Mai was coming back, hot cup of tea in hand… accompanied by Finn. Eugene felt a prickle of energy from Oliver and watched as his eyes scanned and came to rest on Mai Sullivan… or, to those who knew her from Japan, Mai Taniyama.

She was laughing at something Finn had said, throwing her head back. When she opened her eyes again, she saw him. She ignored the slight flutter in her heart as her mind registered who it was who stood in front of her.

Cinnamon clashed with indigo, and Eugene sucked in a breath. Mai smiled.

Oliver sucked in a breath. "Mai." He hissed. Her smile turned into a smirk.

"Hello, Dr. Davis." She said quite calmly.

* * *

 _ **Ha. Done finally. Sorry it took a bit longer. I've been on a trip, so this is actually getting updated somewhere else. Kind of hard to write on a trip… I get really tired when I'm traveling. Anyway, read and review. I'll update ASAP.**_

 _ **As Always, AOP**_


	9. Cry Wolf

_**So, I don't think that I've ever mentioned my**_ **favorite** _ **part of writing… which is toying with the characters emotions… all the**_ **angst** _ **and hurt… mwahaha… I love my unpaid job…**_

 _ **Anyway, I don't own the song. I don't own Ghost Hunt.**_

* * *

Chapter 8- Cry Wolf

 _Don't be mad that you did it_

 _Caught your read hands in it_

 _You're so bad, yeah, I get it_

 _Made your bed, now rest in it._

 _Go and cry wolf_

 _ **Bebe Rexha- Cry Wolf**_

She had changed. Her hair was longer- pulled back in a loose braid. She wasn't any taller, he noticed, but she had matured. At least physically. Her brown eyes were bright mischief as she looked at him, a slight smirk on her face.

So, it _was_ her. He thought dimly.

Martin grinned, "Ah, miss Sullivan." He called. "I'm so glad you and your friends could come."

Mai grinned. "I want to thank you for the opportunity, Professor Davis." She said, bowing. Eugene snickered, as she had just blown his brother off.

"Mai." Oliver snapped. Martin blinked. "Do you know miss. Sullivan, Oliver?"

The young man's head snapped up to meet his fathers. "Miss. Sullivan?" he drawled, looking over at Mai. "That's new. I didn't realize that you'd changed your name. Mai smiled. "Actually, _Dr. Davis,_ you'll find that I have _many_ names. Taniyama and Sullivan being two of them. There's a third one, Momohara, though that's actually my mother's maiden name. Taniyama is my great- grandmother's maiden name. my father was Damien Sullivan."

Martin was not the only one who was watching this exchange with rapt attention. "oh… here we go…" Takigawa muttered. Ayako sighed, but stayed silent, Masako smirked behind her kimono sleeve. John fidgeted and Yasuhara snickered.

Her friends that had traveled with her shared looks alternating between resigned and anger as some were glaring at Oliver and some were looking over at Mai. Emiko and Izumi were (silently) betting on who would come out the victor of this fight, Tohru just shook her head. Anabelle tried _very_ hard to remain hidden behind a wall, so that Finn and Adrian wouldn't notice her.

Psyche let out a breath beside Eugene and shook her head.

"But," Mai said it cooly, "At least I never _lied_ about my name…"

"You just did, _Taniyama,_ " Oliver sneered.

"Nope. Sullivan is on my birth Certificate as well, _Dr. Davis,_ which I'm sure you knew as well, when you hired me."

Oliver's gaze darkened at the girl who glared at him, with a level expression. "Yeah. I knew about that. Just how _much_ did you keep from me, may I ask?"

At this, Eugene sucked in a breath. Oliver, however sneered. "As much as necessary, _Mai._ After all, you wouldn't have _possibly_ understood it all."

Mai gasped, and then, her mood darkened farther. She glided over to him, tables started rattling, the equipment on them shaking. From outside, Anabelle could hear thunder. "Oh, dear…" she mumbled.

Adrian's eyes snapped to her. She froze. ' _Shit_!' she thought.

Mai stood right in front of Oliver now, toe to toe. "How about _now?_ " she hissed. "am I smart enough for you to think I can understand _now?_ "

Martin frowned, wondering if he should intervene. Oliver answered that question for him. "I don't know, Mai, it seems you don't have enough brain power to practice some self- control, so… you tell me." He wore a smirk. She let out a muted scream and stomped her foot.

A fissure split in the floor where her foot was. Now, Martin did speak. "Oliver Davis, what the _bloody hell_ do you think you're doing?" he snapped. His son, who had seemed to forget his father was even in the room gave a start. Eugene breathed a sigh of relief.

Martin stalked up to his son (who was taller than him by a few inches). "Do I need to tell your mother about your _deplorable_ attitude toward your partner?" Oliver blanched, though his ears went slightly pink. Eugene smirked.

"No father, you don't." he said.

Martin nodded, his eyes still narrowed in anger. "I should hope not. You are twenty-one, Oliver. You are acting like a two-year-old." He rounded on Mai next. "And you, Miss. Sullivan, are an adult as well, perfectly capable of _not_ falling into my son's bating." She dropped her head, mortified at her behavior.

"I am sorry, Professor. I… I don't know what came over me…" she knew _exactly_ what had come over her, Eugene thought. Psyche snorted. "Has he _always_ been able to push her buttons like that?" she snorted.

"I'm afraid so," the Australian exorcist murmured. "They _always_ had spats like this…"

"If you weren't so susceptible to _constructive criticism_ , Mai, then I think you shouldn't be here." Oliver drawled. Mai gasped. "Why you…. You arrogant…. _toad_!" she shrieked. " _That_ wasn't constructive criticism. That was…"

"Miss. Sullivan, Oliver Davis. If you two cannot get along- and so help me, Oliver, if you keep baiting her-"

But the professor could not finish his sentence. Because right then, two different auras went off. From Oliver's side, the tables, equipment, _everything_ rose up off the ground, it hovered, just floating around him. Mai was doing the same thing.

What was extraordinary about the display (no matter how childish) of temper was that both parties' floating objects had aura surrounding them. _Visible_ aura, that everyone, the spiritualists and scientists alike, could see.

Surrounding Oliver was bright gold and white, while Mai's was a true blue. Visual sparks formed between the two. Fissures appeared in the walls and floor. More glass broke. One side of the room became frigid, the other side… became a sauna. Martin shivered with amazement. This was...

"Enough!"

It was Lin who spoke. Oliver dropped the PK, as did Mai, the tone was enough to shock them both out of their temper.

And Lin was _pissed._

"Oliver, to your office. Mai, you will take the office next to his. I will talk to you _both_. _Separately._ " He snapped.

Mai hung her head, but followed the younger brother.

Neither spoke a word.

Martin was gaping as he rounded on the others. "When was anyone going to _tell_ me that Miss Sullivan was _actually_ Miss Taniyama, or that they parted on less than pleasant terms?" he asked, darkly. Masako sighed as she stepped forward.

"to be quite honest, professor, we did not know that Mai would… take this whole thing like that. We didn't know the extent of her powers. We _were_ aware that Oliver and Mai argued… quite a bit, in fact. We didn't know it would go that far…. Mai always had a temper, but it had never been quite that bad…"

"Well, he did kind of break her heart..." Emiko drawled. "Didn't anyone think of that? I mean, one of us might have said something if any of us actually _knew._ Mai never did _tell_ us specifics like names. Usually, it was _he_ or _him_ when she did mention him."

Izumi sighed. "Mai has changed within the last four years. Everyone does, it is human nature. Mai's got a nasty temper… but it rarely comes out this bad. She's actually pretty good at practicing self-control." She frowned. "Honestly, professor, I didn't expect her to blow up like that…"

The professor sighed, and rubbed a hand down his face. "This might be difficult…"

Tohru rolled her eyes. "At this point, Professor, she's so embarrassed with her own behavior, that she'd do almost anything to atone for that." She informed him. "if that means working with your son and taking _all_ of the criticism with a smile on her face, she'd do it."

"If you're sure…"

"Only because it's _Lin_ who's talking to her. She respects him enough that she'll be thoroughly ashamed. She already is because she respects you, as well." Kuroda muttered. "She's told me all sorts of things about most of you. In fact," the dark- haired girl frowned. "The only one she really didn't talk about _was_ Dr. Davis."

Eugene sighed. "This… is going to be fun, isn't it…"?

Psyche looked over at the elder twin. "It'll work out." She said, loudly enough for the professor to hear. "After this… there will be fighting, but they won't go this far again… not for a while, anyway."

The professor nodded. "If you're sure…" he murmured. Anabelle nodded, though she was still caught in the predatory glare of Adrian, she spoke. "Mai will control it. I don't know about Dr. Davis, but Mai isn't the type to back down. She never has been…"

"So, running away doesn't run in the family, then?" Adrian drawled. Thunder cracked again, and the professor jumped a bit. Anabelle's eyes narrowed, but she drew herself up. "I think, Mr. Connolly, that one fight is enough for now. Don't you agree?" she smirked. "or don't you remember the _last_ time you pissed me off?"

That had ended with a trip to the Galway hospital… for _him._ She had worried about him, had cried her eyes out, and had stayed by his hospital bed until he woke up.

Ten days later, she'd been on that plane to Japan. Obviously, Adrian remembered. Or, Finn remembered, and had shoved his elbow into his twin's stomach. "Shut _up_ , Adrian." He snapped. Adrian did.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

Oliver sat at his desk as Lin paced in front of him. As livid as the onmiyoji was, Oliver wondered if he would lose control of _his_ power. "Really, Noll." He snarled. "Did you _have_ to do that?"

Oliver was silent.

"She didn't do _anything_ that you didn't already do to _her_." The onmiyoji hissed. Oliver frowned. A lesser being would have squirmed, but he did not. After all, he reflected, _She_ hadn't known who he was beforehand. He didn't point that out to Lin, though.

"Not only that, but you insulted her intelligence, _again_ , when she was at the top of her class for the last four years. _And you know it_." now, he did fidget a bit. Lin wasn't done. "You lost control of your powers _again_ , which really isn't like you,"

The last time that had happened, he'd destroyed a shrine to a god that had been angered because it hadn't been worshipped- _after_ he'd been possessed by a _fox_. He'd been understandably annoyed, right up until Mai had yelled at him to _stop hiding behind everyone else and_ do _something._

So, he had _done_ something.

And that something stopped his heart.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

Mai listened as Lin went off on Oliver, waiting for her turn. She knew that she'd screwed up… and the phone call had just made it worse. She sniffed. Feeling sorry for herself didn't do anything productive, but at least she could get it all out before it was _her_ turn for a chewing out of epic proportions.

Right on cue, Lin stepped in. She, being a lesser being, did fidget. She had _never_ enjoyed having the Chinese man angry at her. She waited with bated breath. "You should have warned him, Mai."

"Oh, what," she muttered, "Like he _warned_ me? Lin, whether or not I _warned_ him, I'm _done_ with taking his criticism. It's old. And honestly, I have enough issues without adding _self- confidence_ to that list."

She glared before yelling "I am _not_ an idiot."

"I know that, Mai, and so does Noll." He said. "But he did it _knowing_ that he'd get a rise out of you." He said. "And you playing into his hands just gave him what he wanted." She groaned.

"Don't you think that I _know_ that? Come on, Lin. I know how he works… or, at least…I _thought_ I knew how he worked." She sighed. "and he still looked cool as ice, even while his own PK was acting up. You'd think what I said did _nothing_." she put her head in her hands before going on. "and I made myself look like an immature _brat_ in front of the professor…" she whimpered.

Lin sighed. "You did look immature. However, you are forgetting that Martin is Oliver's father, and knows how his son is. If anything, the professor is angrier at Oliver than you." He told the girl.

"Lord knows Luella is going to be a _sight_ when she hears of this…" he muttered, feeling almost sorry for his charge. Mai didn't hear that last part. "I should go apologize." She muttered, standing. She looked at Lin. "I'm sorry, Lin." She said.

He nodded. "Accepted."

She walked out of the office, and walked back to the main laboratory. She bowed to the professor. "I am sorry for the scene I caused, Professor Davis."

"I just want to know if you can work with Oliver without…" Martin trailed off, looking around the discombobulated lab. Mai winced. "I swear that it will not happen again." She said.

Oliver snorted. She turned to Oliver last. "Gomenasai, Dr. Davis," she said, bowing to him. "My behavior was uncalled for." She said.

Oliver was floored, even as he felt the prick of _something_ up his spine at the sight.

He found himself nodding. "As am I, Mai." She sighed.

"Now, can you two get along long enough to work together?" Martin asked, censure in his voice. Both looked at the professor and nodded. "Yes, sir." Mai spoke softly. "I'm sure we can."

And, as it had been when she'd been sixteen, Oliver thought, the girl- no, young woman's temper was fast burning. Much like a fire. Once the fuel had run out, it, too died. Then, she became sad, and then, she bounced back.

He felt himself relax just a bit more. She was still the same girl he'd known in Japan. He felt a smirk tug on the corner of his lips. "Mai…" he said quietly. She looked up at him. "Yes, Dr. Davis?"

Anything he'd been about to say promptly flew out of his mind and his eyes narrowed. Annoyance flash-flooded his system. "Tea." He said.

Her eyes flashed. " _What_?" she hissed.

"Oh, god, Noll, not _again._ " Eugene snapped. "We haven't even started cleaning up after that _last_ spat."

Mai was standing there, openmouthed in shock. Had he just…. _Demanded_ tea? She had to let the words sink in.

"You…." She said, but she couldn't finish. "you… I can't _believe_ you…. _Tea_? Did you seriously order me to get you _tea_ just now?"

"If you can't follow one order, Mai…"

She promptly walked over to him, grabbing her own tea that had long been forgotten. She stood on her tip- toes and dumped it on his head.

" _There's_ your tea, Dr. Davis." She snarled. "Can we get to work now?" she turned away, swinging her braid as she went, nearly hitting him in the face.

The lab was silent as they all processed what had just happened.

"Well," Eugene drawled. "I don't know what you expected, Noll…"

"Shut. _Up_. Eugene." He snarled.

Ayako gaped. "I didn't know she had it _in_ her…"

"Do you know anything about her, anymore?" Izumi snickered. "She has the nerve to do a _lot_ more than that."

Martin looked at his son. "Next time, ask, Noll. It's not exactly hard." He told him.

Oliver, who was still soaking wet, glared.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

When the girls returned to the mansion, Mai disappeared. She was still angry enough that she knew she'd cause a poltergeist if she went inside. Especially knowing that, as soon as she got in, she'd be bombarded with sidelong glances and the whole works. She just needed some space… at least enough to calm down.

So, she walked around the house… and into the forest. OF course, she kept on the trail that had obviously been there for a _long_ time. For a while, at least. She stopped a good distance away from the house, she frowned as she heard a sound. A soft yip.

Pain was what she felt first. In her left leg. She started running, well, more limping than running, in the direction of the sound.

It was a fox kit. In a trap. She gasped, as she reached it. "What the _hell_?" she hissed, making quick work of the trap the little fox was in. It tried to nip at her a few times, but she calmed it using her ability to push the feeling of tranquility into the fox's mind, making hushing noises, much like a mother did to their child.

A flash of a baby with large, dark indigo eyes and brown hair entered her mind and she went pink. Now was _not_ the time for that… though she wasn't sure if there would _ever_ be a time for that.

After she had freed the baby fox, she found the trail. With a baby fox in her arms, she went straight to the barn. It was the first time she'd been in the building- or any of the outbuildings, actually. Fresh hay was there, oddly enough, and a few horses. She let out a breath as she saw the gorgeous strawberry mare. "Wow, aren't you pretty," she murmured. "What's your name?"

"She doesn't have a name." Mai let out a shriek as the voice sounded behind her. The man smirked. "You'd be the new miss, wouldn't you?" he asked. Mai nodded.

"My name is Flamel. Jacob Flamel. No relation to Nicholas." He chuckled. "I'm the stablemaster. I take care of the horses here. That one… well, bought her a few days before you arrived. Figured you could give her a name if you wanted to ride her."

"I don't know how to ride." Mai muttered. The man chuckled, dark grey eyes sparlking in his wizened face. Laugh lines crinkled at his eyes and his grey hair had started to go white. Nevertheless, she thought, she had never seen a man his age who looked so in shape.

"I can teach you, Miss."

"Mai. It's just Mai."

"I was wondering when you'd get around to telling me that." She laughed. "Sorry. Bad mannars. I should have told you sooner."

"No matter. What's wrong with the kit in your arms?"

"His leg… caught in a trap. I don't think the little thing can stay alive on his own… not with this…" she showed Jacob the kit's injury. She'd wrapped it with a handkerchief she'd kept in her pocket. "I'm going to go get Psyche. She'd be able to heal him…"

"Probably a good idea. I'll keep an eye on the kit."

"Thanks." She said, turning. She ran to the house.

Of course, they were waiting for her. "What the hell was _that_ about, Mai?" Psyche asked. And the whole reason that Mai had _not_ entered the house when they got home in the first place came back to her. She sighed.

"I… uh… well…"

"He seemed rather adept at pushing your buttons." Tohru drawled.

Mai snorted at that. "he's the one that _created_ those particular buttons, Tohru." She muttered. "When I worked for him at SPR…"

" _He_ was your boss? I thought it was the other guy… Lin!" Emiko gasped. Izumi's gold eyes went wide. "And suddenly the whole ' _you fell in love with your boss'_ thing is less weird."

Mai hissed. "Can we _not_ bring that up?"

Sakurako blinked. "Are you talking about Oliver Davis?" she asked. Mai groaned and threw up her hands. "Oh, for the love of Kami…"

"Kami won't save you now…" Anabelle muttered. "Especially since you broke the lab."

"I _had_ help, if you would be so kind as to remember," she let out a frustrated huff and glared. "look, I will _spill_ my guts to you later, right now, I need Psyche's help in the barn. Come on." She grabbed the darker- haired girl's hand and tugged her out the door, without so much as another word.

"Which means she'll get to hear all the good stuff first," Tohru muttered.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

"Oliver E.C. Davis." Was the first thing that they heard as they walked through the front door. As stoic as Oliver was, even _he_ froze when his adoptive mother used that tone of voice. His head slowly turned to see her standing there.

Standing at five-foot-four inches, slim and blond, her bright green eyes were narrowed. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tapping on the floor.

It was easily the most terrifying thing that Oliver had ever seen.

That was _counting_ Urado.

"Yes, mother?" he responded. Luella hissed. "Your father called me from the office today after the _stunt_ you decided to pull. And don't you _dare_ tell me that _she_ started it, Oliver. I heard the whole thing."

Oliver winced. His mother was not yet done. "You are _lucky_ that you are twenty-one years of age, Oliver if you were _any_ younger than that, I would _ground you from ghost hunting_."

And just the thought of that made his jaw clench. "Mother…"

"I am _not_ finished. Your father and I raised you _better than that_ , and you know it," Luella growled. "That girl may have been in the wrong as well, and likely, she's getting chewed out for her behavior as well, but as I am not her guardian, I have no right to do that."

Oliver glared at that.

"I am an adult mother, I don't have-"

"Then you should _act_ like it." Luella snarled. "For god's sake, Oliver, _what_ were you thinking?"

"he was thinking that he'd get her riled up because she pissed him off by not telling him that she'd be there." Eugene drawled from behind him. "Though I don't know _how_ that would be possible… you didn't exactly leave her any contact information…"

"Shut up, Eugene." Oliver snarled.

"Oliver, you're my brother, and I do love you, but you _are_ an idiot scientist." Eugene muttered. "I just don't know how you expect _her_ to tell _you_ anything when _you_ never bothered to tell _her_ anything."

Luella blinked. "What?"

"She was his assistant." Eugene grinned. "Didn't you meet her once, mom?" Luella blinked. She turned back to Oliver. "That sweet girl from Japan who helped you find…?"

Oliver glared at Eugene. " _Thank_ you, _Eugene_." He muttered sarcastically.

"Oliver Davis… What happened at the University?" Luella asked slowly.

Oliver winced.

Eugene smirked as he snuck away. As much as he loved his brother, he did _not_ want to be there for him when their mother exploded.

' _Sorry, Noll. You're on your own.'_

' _Coward.'_ Came the reply.

' _Yes. Yes, I really, truly am. It wasn't_ me _that fucked up, though, was it…?"_

' _I got_ tea _poured on my head."_

' _And whose fault was that? I'm pretty sure it was yours.'_

' _Bugger off, Gene.'_

Eugene was at the door to the library when he heard his mother's voice.

" _YOU DID_ WHAT?!"

"Oh, Noll, you're in for it _big_ time, now…" he muttered with a smirk. As loving and caring as his mother was- and as much as he and Oliver (though the latter wouldn't say it out loud) adored Luella… she had a way of putting the two of them in their place if they needed it.

Much, Eugene thought, like Mai did with Oliver. He chuckled as he opened his brother's latest book. ' _you know, Noll, you could write another book.'_

' _and what would that be about, Eugene?'_

' _Ten Easy Steps to Piss Off_ Every _Female That You Know.'_

'… _I regret kissing you back to life, sometimes. Did you know that?'_

 _'Too late now, little brother.'_

* * *

 _ **And, so ends chapter 8. What will become of the cute little fox kit? Will Oliver survive the wrath of his mother? Will Eugene stop tormenting his brother? Will Angel of Pandemonium Stop messing with people's emotions (well, that's a**_ **no** _ **.) All this next time (at least some time or another not necessarily in this chapter) next time. Read and review.**_

 _ **As always, Angel of Pandemonium**_

 _ **P.S. Was that enough of an ass-whipping for you lot? Geeze, some of you are more bloodthirsty than**_ **I** _ **am about this… if not, plenty more to come.**_


	10. Far from Home

_**So, chapter 9 is up. Sorry it took so long. I had a hard time getting this one out… I was travelling and I usually sleep, however after a week of sleeping either on a floor or upright in a chair gets to just about anyone. In any case, here's chapter nine**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Don't own the song. Don't own Ghost Hunt.**_

 _ **Oh, and to answer reviews:**_

 _DragonQueenFir_ _ **e: I do not have a consistent updating schedule. I wish I did. I'm sorry. I try to update as often as I can… but… then writer's block happens.**_

 _Guest_ _ **: thank you for the review.**_

 _Shayrulz_ _ **: think of an emotional train wreck… with a naru/mai ending.**_

 _Ghost loves japan 77_ _ **: wow, long name, anyway, no, she is not mad at SPR- just Naru. She will explain to them… eventually, though John, Ayako, and Monk kind of have a slight idea. And thank you.**_

 _Glass Dragon's Rose_ _ **: thank you. I've never actually**_ **watched** _ **any of the Rocky movies (all the way through), but I'm glad it was that awesome.**_

 _Vampgirl1309_ _ **: Mai is different from Naru. She's stronger than him in some things, but he's stronger than her in others. I'm trying to balance with these things. Does she have the capability psychic wise to knock him on his butt? Yes. But he does, as well.**_

 _Royal Panda_ _ **: I did not even realize I put in a Harry Potter reference… it was a complete accident. But oh well. It's there… and as that was my first fandom, I am not surprised it wormed its way in there.**_

 _Joys_ _ **: I don't know if you're reading it anymore, kind of hard to tell with guests, but I guess this chapter is for you.**_

 _ **And yes, the fox kit will be a part of the story- to all of you who wondered.**_

* * *

Chapter 9- Far from Home

 _Another day in this carnival of souls_

 _Another night's ends, end as quickly as it goes_

 _The memories are shadows; ink on the page_

 _And I can't seem to find my way home_

' _Cause it's almost like_

 _Your heaven is trying everything_

 _To keep me out_

 _ **Five Finger Death Punch- Far from Home**_

Watching Psyche use her bio-kesis was always amazing. The first thing that always got Mai was the fact that Mai and Psyche had a similar color to their aura- both had a deep blue. Though Mai's was deep dark blue, Psyche's was a paler blue more like twilight.

As she healed the fox kit, she gave Mai a look. "What the hell happened there, Mai? That wasn't like you at all." Mai huffed. "Look, just heal the fox. I don't want to talk about it, okay? It's not like I meant to do that…"

"It looked like you meant it from where I was standing."

" _He_ started it!" she snarled. " _He_ started it _two years ago_ , when he _left_! He just _left,_ Psyche. I was _alone_ again. And what is the second thing out of his mouth when I see him again?" Psyche sighed as she stood up from finishing with the kit.

"The kit will survive. Though, I wonder…" she frowned, looking at the small animal. "While I was healing him, he seemed to be rather attuned to it. Almost like he was sensing my aura and was okay with me." She shrugged as Mai perked up. "I'm not saying that's what _happened_. It was odd, though, most animals try to fight their way out of any sort of human touching them." Psyche shrugged. "It's like he knows that I mean him no harm."

Mai grinned. "Maybe he does." She returned. "wouldn't that be something?"

Psyche snorted. "You know that everyone in there wants to rip into this." She stated. Mai sighed. "look… Dr. Davis was my boss… and like the dumb high school bunny I was, I fell in love with him… only, he was lying about himself the whole time."

"That clears nothing up." Psyche deadpanned. Mai snorted. "I didn't say that would clear anything up. I was just explaining why I'm so angry at him."

"He called you stupid, Mai. I'd be pissed too." In all actuality, Psyche had been seconds from punching the prick in the face. She wasn't the only one who felt that way, either. Anabelle had been preoccupied with her own issues, but Tohru looked like she was about to set the guy on fire (and, as her fire burned quite a bit hotter than anything found on the mortal realm, _that_ would have been bad. Emiko and Izumi were glaring holes in the back of his head (the rise in temperature had not been _all_ Mai's fault, after all), and Kuroda had actually lost control of her own PK for a few seconds (though she had _not_ been the one to destroy the lab. That had been all Mai and Oliver's doing).

"What's done is done, Mai." Psyche said, handing the fox kit over to the young woman. "This little one will be fine. He just needs some TLC… but, unfortunately, I could only heal it to a natural extent, he's got a bit of a limp… that will slowly kill him if he goes back into the wild. He needs to stay here."

Mai let out a coo as she rocked the little animal in her arms. His fur was still orange, but it was slowly turning white, she noticed, for the winter. For now, she had to figure out where to put him to sleep…

And what to name him.

She smiled to herself as she brought the small creature in to the mansion with her.

It was a good thing she'd decided to, too. Turns out, if you put an adorable animal in with a group of females, they'll forget about the jucy gossip (that she really didn't have) and latch onto it with squeals of delight and awe.

That was, until the poor thing started to get spooked by everyone crowding him. She grinned as she excused herself to her bedroom.

Upon entering, another surprise came. The fox- who had long since woken up, but had been laying docilly in her arms- jumped down and started sniffing. She blinked as she watched. He turned back to her, and a thought- not hers- was pushed into her mind.

It was kind of a question. The fox had indeed picked up on _her_ scent- as well as the others living in the mansion. However, there was another scent- one that didn't match anyone in the house, though it was weaker.

He asked her, as well as he could, who that scent belonged to. She pushed back her own sense of confusion. He told her that he smelled the same slight scent as the one in her room. She wondered what that meant.

As she put the kit down, she started to try and think of a name for the little fox. She was really tired of thinking of him as the kit, or the fox. She sighed as she lay down herself, and turned to her side. Maybe she'd have a name in the morning….

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Davis Estate_

Oliver's ears were still ringing from his mother. Eugene was waiting for him in the library. "you traitor…" he growled. Eugene looked up from the book he was reading, and his eyebrow shot up. "Me? A traitor? Oliver… how could you say that?" irony laced the elder twin's voice.

Oliver hissed. " _Who_ told _mother_?"

"That was Madoka. Or did you forget that she and Lin were there the whole time?"

"Only Lin was there."

"That, brother dear, is where you are wrong. Madoka was in the kitchenette, talking to Richards- who you pay no mind to- when you and Mai put on your PK pissing contest… that she won."

"Did you _have_ to put it like that?" Oliver groaned at his brother's choice of words. "And she did not win."

"Really? Because the fissures in the floor and wall are an inch deeper than the ones _you_ created. She made a _thunderstorm_ …"

" _That_ just proves that she has _less_ control than me over her psychic abilities." Oliver pointed out.

"And she poured tea over your head." Eugene smirked. "You've gone _eu deu_ tea for the rest of the day- well, until you shower…" he smirked, "She got you… and she got you _good_."

"Are you quite finished?"

"Not by a long shot, but I do believe that the lady can take care of that herself. So, what did mom saddle you with as a punishment?"

"Father already saddled me with the punishment of working with her. What more do you want?"

"Do you honestly not want to work with her that much?"

"Not overmuch. No. She has no attention span-"

"Noll, come on. She's amazing. To exert as much control over her abilities as it is, she's good. You _know_ she's changed in the _four years_ since you've left."

Oliver snarled. "Then why don't _you_ work with her?"

"Because I'm working with the lovely miss. Mallory." Eugene returned. "And I can't hog _all_ the pretty girls to myself. That just wouldn't be fair."

Oliver gave a disgruntled growl. "Oh, go on, Noll. What's done is done." Eugene sighed. "Better deal with it." he said it bracingly.

"I don't' know _how_ to deal with it." Oliver muttered. "She's always been an enigma to me."

"Best learn then, right, bro?"

The black clad brother rolled his shoulders. Eugene was right. He would have to make the best of having a partner that was over emotional and seemed, quite suddenly to hate the ground he walked on.

 _Whose fault is that_? A voice in the back of his mind drawled. Oliver sighed. However, his brother was wrong on one count. He'd never be able to figure out Mai. _No_ man could figure out a woman.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University Dorms_

He was pacing, Finn noticed, like a cat. It was maddening. As he tried to concentrate on a book, his twin was prowling about the dorm that they shared with Yasuhara… who was in the corner, watching and smirking… eating popcorn. Yasuhara seemed to get a sick sense of enjoyment out of the suffering of his more… serious minded peers- like Lin Koujo, Oliver Davis… and Adrian Connolly.

"How could she be so stupid?" Adrian growled. Finn's eyes narrowed.

If there was one thing that they couldn't agree on, it was Anabelle Fitzgerald. Though, for the life of him, Finn couldn't figure out why. He couldn't understand _what_ it was about Anabelle that drove his brother nuts.

Which was funny. If there was something that Finn should understand, it was that. After all, he had been- at one point- in love with the same girl that Adrian had been pining over for the last year.

Then, there was the _incident_ a year ago that had driven the young woman away from Adrian… she had told the elder twin her feelings.

Needless to say, it had not gone well. Finn still didn't know the whole story, Adrian wouldn't tell him. All he knew was that Anabelle's heart had ended up broken, and they had gotten into a fight… again.

Adrian had ended up in the hospital; Finn watched as Anabelle had stayed by his side until he woke up… then had left the next day.

This was actually the first time they had seen Anabelle since she'd left for Tokyo. "Careful, Adrian, you've started sounding like Boss." Yasuhara smirked.

"If you're talking about how Dr. Davis reacted to Miss Sullivan…" Finn drawled, "Than I have to agree. Really, Adrian, what the hell?"

"She didn't _want_ to come back…"

"She might go back after she's done at Cambridge. Maybe she met someone…"

Adrian let out a growl.

Finn's eyebrow shot up. Oh, _really_? Odd reaction for someone who claimed to not care… none of this made sense in that case. "What's wrong, Ade? Feeling a bit _jealous_ there?"

Adrian blinked. "What the hell are you going on about?" he asked.

"You just growled when I mentioned Anabee meeting someone. You didn't even do that with any of the girls you were dating when they moved on." Finn smirked. Yasuhara laughed. "wonder what Big Boss would do if Mai announced her engagement to someone else?" he smirked.

"You two are ridiculous." Adrian growled. "I _am not_ jealous of _whoever_ it is that get saddled with _that_ particular sack of annoyance."

"I'm telling her you called her that." Finn drawled, enjoying the way his brother's face bleached of all color. "I'm sure that'll get you into another nice stay… at a hospital."

"No, she might just kill him." Yasuahara frowned in mock contemplation. "He did kind of call her both _fat_ and _annoying…_ "

"I did _not_ call her _fat_." Adrian yelled.

"Sack of annoyance does kind of sound like you're calling her fat, brother dear."

"And that is exactly the kind of thinking that most women have." Adrian growled.

"Our point exactly. She _is_ a woman. Even _you_ can't deny that."

There was silence as Adrian considered his options. The situation was spiraling _far_ out of his control and he knew it. these two would _definitely_ tell Anabelle that he'd called her that…. And then he'd be in for it.

That was _one_ trip to the hospital he could pass up.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall, England_

 _ **She stood at the of their bedroom, the shadows on the wall danced, giving her a cruel shadow play on what was going on. Tears flowed down her face silently, even while the knife in her blood-stained hand glinted in the dimmed light.**_

 _ **How dare he? After all they had been though? After all she'd done for him?**_

 _ **A broken sob tore from her throat as she watched.**_

Mai woke with tears on her own cheeks. She The fox kit was whimpering as it licked her face, trying to wake her up. She sighed as she sat up, and cuddled the baby to her as she checked the clock on her phone- 5:30 in the morning. "I'm awake," she mumbled, still bombarded with emotions of betrayal and sadness, both going to an almost manic extent….

For her. For whoever the dream was about, it was more than manic. She'd already _killed_. And she'd been about to do it again. She was going to need to tell Na- no. She stopped herself from finishing that thought. She needn't tell him. After all, _he_ wasn't her boss anymore. _She_ had full control of her Astral dreams, at least to the extent that she _knew_ that she was having them. Her boss was Professor Martin Davis.

So, she'd have to inform Professor Davis of her dream. She got up, absently petting the small fox in her arms. He gave a yip and jumped out of her arms. She giggled as he scampered away. God, he was adorable.

She walked over to her closet and opened the door, and then, promptly backed away, startled.

She must have pressed something on accident, because in the week she'd lived there, her closet did _not_ have a staircase in it. She looked at the fox, who sniffed at the doorway in the closet, and, deciding that it must be okay (or, perhaps curiosity had gotten the better of him), started to trot down the stairs.

Mai heard the yip and she hurried to follow.

She found him at the bottom of the stairs, paw-over-head, dusty and _very_ annoyed. She laughed. "Okay, just curious, then, huh? Like Yasu…." She snickered as the little thing righted himself, and looked at her, expectantly, and then, he cocked his head to the side, pressing intrigue into her mind at the name.

"Yasu? You want me to call you that?" she asked, incredulous. A sense of contentment filled her.

"Yasu it is, then." She murmured. Though her attention had been elsewhere drawn. Specifically, to the bookshelves and desk

Once more, her grandmother had books on all things occult, and macabre. The complete works of Oliver and Martin Davis were on the walls, and (unlike the books at the Momohara mansion) had been _hand_ -signed instead of having been signed once, and then printed with the signature.

She abandoned all sense of self- discipline as she traced the letters that he'd penned. Yasu yipped from the other side of the room, and the next thing she felt was a furry head nudging her bare leg. She looked down at him. "I'm okay." She said softly.

She looked at the familiar handwriting, and felt her heart ache, before replacing the book, and turning her attention to the desk.

Oddly enough, she saw more of his handwriting. Her heart stopped. She didn't know when, but he had been here….

She put the book down and walked to the desk where a black notebook was, sitting with the papers that also bore his writing. Her breath caught in her throat. She'd _seen_ that notebook before. Her hand shook as she reached out for it. Her mind was reeling. It couldn't be one of his, though… that would be impossible. She opened the notebook.

Having learned English from her mother had come in handy, as she was fluent in it: reading, writing, and speaking, and had been for years. Something that she'd never told _him_ though, she was sure that he knew. As it was, his handwriting was atrocious, and she could barely make it out- which had worked in his favor when he was her boss.

She had to wonder if her grandmother had told him about her own research, now, though she found that doubtful. Still, she had to make sure that whatever was in his journal did _not_ pertain to her grandmother's research. If it did, she'd have to call _him_ and ask for permission to use some of his notes in her own study.

Thankfully, she needn't have worried about that, though she did find interesting notes on other subjects in the psychic part of the field, relating to latent psychics, and how their powers evolved. Really, it was an interesting read, though she had to decipher the chicken-scratch he called handwriting. Did _all_ doctors (even honorary ones) have bad handwriting? Was it a requirement? Shaking her head, she gave a soft chuckle.

Still, finding _his_ notebook in her house…

Suddenly, the shirts she'd found in her room started to make sense… the _smell_ of them… she froze. If he'd been here (and she had found out from Sakurako that the Davis family were good friends of her grandmothers, it would be odd to assume that they _hadn't_ spent time at Winter hall), enough time to leave his _notebook_ there… then it would be safe to assume that he'd left a shirt or two there…

But… that would only be in the room that he would have… that he would have… her face went red. It would be safe to assume that he'd left clothing only in the rooms that he'd… slept in….

She looked at the notebook in her hand, heart pounding.

" _Dear Kami-sama…."_ She whispered in Japanese.

She went back upstairs. It was time for her to get ready to go to Cambridge that day. But first, she crossed to the Armoire and pulled out one of the shirts. She spread it out and stared at it. It was black- his usual color, she thought.

As she had sworn to never, ever hold her abilities inside again, she let her instincts take over. She found it amusing now, how _he_ had once described her instincts as those of an animal. Well, she thought, when was he ever wrong? Her lips twitched.

Her senses had gotten quite a bit better in the years after he'd left. Her eyesight was ridiculously good- she'd gone in for an eye exam and tested at 20-10, and she could see better than anyone she knew at night. Her sense of smell was pretty good as well, much like a dog's (something that Kuroda had teased her about), her hearing was abnormally good, and – since she'd been studying martial arts for a few years, she'd gotten tremendously versatile and flexible.

Coupled with what _he_ had pointed out about her instincts, she was the closest thing to an animal that a human could get. All she was missing was the tail… and fur. Not that she would ever tell him that he was right… She shook her head, and put the shirt back.

She chose jeans and a tank top before shoving her shoes on and heading downstairs for breakfast. She was the first one there- an anomality even now. She may have been better at waking up and being on time, but she still hated it, and still remained the last one to wake on a normal day…

Though, the days that she woke up from a dream were the ones she did tend to wake early on. Takeshi, who was at the table himself, noted this. "Another dream?" he asked. Mai nodded, still tired.

She got Yasu some raw meat from the fridge before pouring herself a bowl of cerial. "Yeah. Whover it is, she's _not_ happy." She mumbled, yawning. Takeshi passed her the coffee pot and she sighed in delight as she put the cream in the black liquid.

Takeshi smirked. "One would think that you would pour an ungodly amount of sugar in your coffee…" he observed. Mai chuckled.

"I would… but I don't _want_ to be like Daffy Duck today." She replied. Takeshi's eyebrow shot up as he eyed his student in confusion. Mai grinned. "You know, those times where he's _literally_ bouncing off the walls with his crazy laugh? That's what happens to my mind when I drink that much coffee. Or, really, any coffee for that matter."

"And yet…"

"Special case. Remember, I usually get so much more sleep, so my body's not awake." She said it calmly as she took a sip.

Kuroda yawned as she walked in to the dining room. She took the seat to the right of Takeshi and put her head down on the table.

"Good morning, Kuroda-san." Takeshi smiled. She let out an almost inaudible mumble.

He slid a plate of toast over to her. "Here. There's coffee as well."

Mai watched as Kuroda (who had never been a major fan of breakfast- which Takeshi _knew,_ as she had _told_ them all before she didn't eat breakfast) looked blearily at the young onmiyoji before taking a bite of the toast. She sat up then, and took some coffee.

Slowly, the others trickled in, most blinked in confusion as they saw Mai sitting at the table. Anabelle yawned herself as she sat down.

"So, what was it this time?" Psyche asked. Mai shrugged. "I don't know quite a lot, yet. This is only the second dream."

"Why didn't you tell the professor yesterday?" Takeshi asked her. Mai winced.

"Uh... I was… kind of preoccupied…" she muttered. Anabelle snorted.

"Yeah, and by that, she means that she was breaking the lab with another one of the psychokinetics."

"What?" Takeshi frowned, his eyes narrowing at his student. Mai shifted uncomfortably, glaring at Anabelle.

She smiked. "She got in a fight with Dr. Davis."

"Can we _not_?" Mai grumbled. "I just got past the realization that I'm sleeping in the same room as he did when he was visiting."

At that, they all looked at her. Emiko and Izumi grinned widely. "Ooh, _really_?" Emiko purred. "Now that's interesting…"

"I found one of his notebooks on the desk in the hidden office." She grumbled. Sakurako grinned. "Sorry for not telling you…" she said.

"It's not like you could. I fell asleep as soon as I found that room." Mai replied.

"Well, anyway, I believe that it is time for the lot of you to head to school." Takeshi said. "We'll talk about yesterday when you get out, Mai."

Then, they were on their way to the university.

 _Today is going to be a long day…_ Mai thought, as she walked into the lab and saw Oliver standing there, customary scowl on his face. "Are you ready to work, or are you going to throw another temper tantrum?" he asked her.

Mai felt her spine stiffen. "Did you forget so soon that _you_ were half of the reason that the lab got destroyed?" she asked. "I was _not_ the only one acting like a child, Dr. Davis." She took a deep breath. Determination filled her. If he wanted to be a prat, that was fine. But she was not going to play his game.

He gave a humph. She would take that as a victory. "Let's get to work, Dr. Davis." She said. He nodded and led her away from the rest of the group. "Lin," he called, "We'll be in the White room."

Mai heard the hum of assent from the older ghost hunter as she passed. Yasuhara winked at her. She grinned back to Oliver's back. She decided that she should tell his father about her dream first.

"Dr. Davis, is the Professor here, today?" she asked. Oliver stopped, a shock passing through. He turned to look at Mai, whose brown eyes were curious. "Yes…" he answered, slowly, wondering why she wanted to know.

"I need to talk to him… it's… I had a dream. Again." She stated, frowning. "I don't know if BSPR is taking a case, but this is the second time I've dreamed about it, and I thought he should know."

"You could just tell me." He pointed out, frowning further. Mai smirked. "But… _you_ aren't my boss. Ergo, I need to tell the one who is."

"That would be Madoka, then," Oliver growled, annoyed at his response to her denial. "I'll take you to her. She's on the way to the White Room." Mai nodded and continued to follow him. She frowned herself, as she thought of the dream.

Well, Dreams. In the first… she had been upset… upset and unable to go home… and _angry_ because there was someone who was responsible for that. In the second dream, she'd been upset for a different reason, whoever _he_ was had betrayed her in some way, and she'd found out.

Oliver stopped in front of an office door and opened it, revealing Madoka sitting behind the desk. "oh, hey, Noll. Mai. What's up?"

"Are you working on a case?" Oliver asked

* * *

. Madoka smirked. "Now, Noll, you know that your mother has forbidden you to work on any cases for a while…"

"Not me. Mai." He muttered, annoyed at, once again, being punished in that manner. He was twenty one for god's sake. He shouldn't _be_ grounded.

"Oh?" Madoka perked up, grinning at Mai, who smiled back. "Its nothing much, yet… mostly just thoughts and feelings. Last night I was watching… well I don't even know. But I felt manically upset."

Madoka nodded. "Okay. Tell me about the first one."

"I was walking. Just walking. I couldn't go home… and it was _his_ fault… Or, at least that's what I was thinking the whole time."

"And the second dream? The one you had last night?"

"Standing in front of a bedroom door, bloody hands, and a clean knife, watching something. I don't quite know. But I was thinking something along the lines of 'how could he betray me like this after all we've been through?'" Madoka nodded, as she wrote it down.

"Well, okay. You dream anything else, come tell me.

"My dress was white." Mai said. "That's the last thing…" she sighed. "I know it's not much to go on."

"It's only the second dream." Oliver drawled. "I am sure you'll have more. In the meantime, we need to go."

He all but steered her out, toward the white room. "This will be our workroom for the next few days." He told her as he opened the door. She nodded, and followed him in the room.

 _Here we go again..._

* * *

 _ **Okay, there we go. Chapter 11 kind of dry, this one, but worth the read. See ya next chapter. Read and Review…**_

 _ **As always, Angel of Pandemonium**_


	11. Magia

_**Right, so, as usual, I'm going to be answering your reviews, those of you who have done so, I thank you**_ **so** _ **much for your input, by the way. Anyway, I'm warning you now, I don't know**_ **when** _ **Oliver and Mai will get together. Hell, one of my other couples might get together before them.**_

 _Joys:_ _ **Thanks! I like Yasu, myself- both the fox and the person (both are rather fun to write). I'm going to be using the whole rooming situation a bit.**_

 _Chamele:_ _ **All foxes are adorable in my opinion. To answer your question, no, it was a complete coincidence that I didn't realize at the time.**_

 _Lady Angel Sanada Doji Date:_ _ **unfortunately, that is not his personality… He's not going to admit it without serious intervention on an outside source's part. As in someone kicking the crap out of him type of intervention. He's not the only one at fault, here, either, and he knows it. He already knows he's done wrong.**_

 _Ghost loves japan 77:_ _ **So… most of this is in the prologue and chapter one. Mai's powers have grown exponentially. One of which being her empathy. She can literally feel emotion from any living creature, human and animal. Due to her own instincts being rather animalistic in the first place, she can get the gist of what an animal is feeling, therefor, thinking.**_

 _Vampgirl1309:_ _ **Mai is**_ **not** _ **quite the bigger person, here. Her temperament is just different. It doesn't help that she's in love with Oliver and just can't stay mad at him. Honestly, her**_ **being** _ **there drives him up the wall, and the fact that he doesn't understand her doesn't help. She's done**_ **developing** _ **powers, though her control still has a long way to go. Hence why she's working with Oliver.**_

 _Wingfright:_ _ **I'm glad you enjoy it. I really got sick of all the 'I'm-sad-and/or-mad, but-I- forgive- you- anyway-and-way-too-quickly-even-though-reality-doesn't-work-that-way…' Mai.**_

 _Wolfy:_ _ **Thank you. I do try.**_

 _MirandaLovespie:_ _ **I'm not abandoning this story. I'm sorry for making you worry. Here's the next chapter, and by the way, thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10- Magia**

 _I remember you from a dream I thought was truth_

 _You bright with magic and I blinded by my youth_

 _All I wish is for your hand to hold you see_

 _Only your smile kills the dark in me_

 _ **~Magia- Madoka Magica**_

 _ **(English cover by Amanda Lee)**_

The room was aptly named, Mai noted. White concrete, linoleum and a two-way mirror indicating that there was another room, an observation room next door. The room was empty, save for a table and two chairs.

Na- Ol- Dr. Davis sat in one. She sighed and sat in the one across from him. He took out his notebook. "There were cameras in the lab, recording what happened yesterday." He said. His voice, for the first time, was quiet. Mai cocked her head to the side, intrigue and a slight bit of confusion entered her sienna eyes.

"I didn't know that…" she said. "Were they able to record the whole thing, or did they… break?" An elegant black brow shot up as he regarded her. To her surprise, his lips quirked, and a slight smirk crossed like lighting across his face.

"Do you have so little control, then?" he asked, his voice held a trace of amusement among the sardonicism. Mai frowned. "That's _not_ what I meant, and you know it, Na- Dr. Davis." She replied, though the barb had hit home, and her words had come more forcefully than she had intended, and her temper had frayed a bit.

A crack appeared in the table. The ironic smirk that slid onto his face made Mai want to slap him. "Oh, really?"

"Ugh, there is just no _winning_ with you, is there?" she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Few have managed to do so," he smirked. "My mind is far too advanced for most to succeed in such endeavors."

"And now, he's using his _advanced_ vocabulary to drive that point home…" she muttered to herself.

"Talking to yourself, Mai? That's rather rude, don't you think?"

"Nowhere near as rude as your constant snipes about my intelligence- or, in your mind, lack thereof." She replied, her temper starting to fray. "I made it to Cambridge, didn't I?" she glared at him.

"True, though I do wonder how." He smirked. One more push should do it, he thought. "hiding behind an assumed name was _inspired_."

At that, her eyes flashed gold. He blinked. Odd. That was something he'd never seen before. "Oh, you don't _say?_ " she drawled. She pinned him with a look. "Now, I can't _imagine_ how it feels to be _left in the dark until the last possible moment_. It must be so _very_ irritating, no?"

Unknown to her, Oliver was coiled. Waiting for something. He didn't know why, but he felt almost exited. He was waiting… waiting for her to say it. He _needed_ her to say it. He frowned internally. Why he needed to hear it was a mystery to him.

"I had my reasons for that, Mai."

"As did _I_ , Dr. Davis." She hissed.

"Your reasons were to hide from _me_." He said. "My reasons were to preserve my anonymity while I searched for the body of my dead brother."

"And I was reserving my anonymity to make _sure_ that I would not get different treatment- good or bad- _just_ because I had experience in the field." She growled.

"You act as if that would have happened. You have far too little experience for that." He drawled. "Especially since we both know, _Taniyama-san_ , that I had to explain _everything_ multiple times for you to understand even the easiest things."

The table broke in half. Her eyes flashed that odd molten gold again. "You did not, and you _know_ it, Naru!" she hissed.

His eyes flashed, however, coupled with that look, that dark, vicious look of victory that he wore, he was not angry. He looked, she noted vaguely, like a warlord who had won a battle. Finally, after this long… he'd finally gotten her to say it.

His name.

She recognized her blunder immediately, and a wealth of jumbled words fell from her lips. They were not English, nor were they Japanese. He could, however, say with certainty, that they were… Chinese.

His dark eyebrow shot up. "Chinese now, Mai? That's new." Her eyes flashed to his, anger had caused a flame. Her eyes were still gold. She snapped something else, " _Tā mā de*_."

He smirked. He'd known Lin long enough that he knew _exactly_ what that meant. "Language, Mai." He purred. Her heart skipped a beat, though she pushed the knowledge off. Self-preservation took over. She was now on auto-pilot.

She could not afford to feel that again. Not toward _him_.

She took a breath, working the anger down. "We've gotten off track, Dr. Davis." She would _not_ call him… _that_ again. She looked around.

He frowned, annoyed that, for the first time since he'd known her, she had not retaliated, but sat back in the chair. Now that the table was destroyed, he had nowhere to write. "You've said that your powers have grown?" he prompted. Mai gave him a wry grin, but nodded. "Much to my own chagrin." She responded.

He frowned. For one who had been immersed in the world of paranormal activity, she had not _wanted_ her powers to grow? She laughed. "Wow, that's the first time I've actually felt anything from you." She murmured, as she let the confusion flow through her.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm Empathic, Dr. Davis." She responded. "I can feel emotions from other living beings. Animals included." Interesting. He made a note in his book. "So, you can tell what another is feeling at any given time?"

"Only when I'm not controlling it. I had to learn how to control that first, as it stopped me from going to school for a while." He frowned. "when was that?"

"Some time after SPR closed down." She responded. _Sometime after you left, and my world fell apart._ Was the answer that she didn't say. "I wasn't aware of my connection to animals until a little after that, when I came across… a rabbit… that was," she winced, as the memory came back. She gulped. "It had been run over… but was still alive. There hadn't been any hope of survival though." She shuddered.

"I… felt it's pain." His eyes flashed up to hers. Her face had gone pallid, and her large, dark eyes stood out in stark contrast. He blinked. "I had nightmares about it for quite a while afterwards." She murmured.

His blood ran cold. She'd felt the death of a _rabbit_? She smiled wryly. "I don't have a complete handle on my Empathic abilities. I sometimes project my own emotions on others with strong enough feelings, though mostly, I just feel from others."

"that's not all, is it?" he asked. She sighed. "no. I have what I call ecokenisis. I can control everything in nature- and have both PK-LT and ST, like you. Though mine is slightly less… well, less."

"Not from what I saw that first day." He replied. She snorted. "We both know that's just because you have better control, Dr. Davis."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Well, it is your name, isn't it?" she drawled sardonically. "I was under the impression that I should call you that."

He said nothing, knowing that if he retaliated, she'd know.

He'd already won once. The first time was always the hardest with her. Soon, she'd fall back into her old habit of calling him Naru. Until then, he'd have to be patient. And that was something that Oliver Davis had and _used_. He was quite capable of waiting her out. All he had to do was keep antagonizing her….

And hope that she wouldn't kill them both with her temper and powers combined.

Thunder sounded outside, and he glanced at his partner and raised an eyebrow. She frowned, but shrugged, a bewildered look came to her face. "That _wasn't_ me…." She muttered. His eyebrow shot up.

"That was something that I wanted to discuss, Mai." He said. "How often do you…"

"change the weather? Well, it seems to be tied to my emotions. Or, rather, strong emotions."

"Elaborate." Oliver said. "What sort of strong emotion?"

"Well, according to Anabelle, it's… anger or euphoria… really, really strong emotions. You'd have to ask Anabelle for anything else."

"What about when you have your dreams?"

"Nothing. I don't know why, but I wondered about that, too, so I checked the camera after the last case. Clear skies outside."

Oliver frowned. "It's a guess, but I think that because you are not… _you_ in the dreams, your powers don't react."

"That's what I thought." Mai murmured, leaning forward, even as he did, their noses almost touching. She was lost, momentarily, in a sea of indigo. She felt something- something not from her. She shivered at the intensity.

"Mai." The two backed away so fast that both got whiplash, as Mai looked over at the Madoka. His teacher's face was oddly calm, though he thought that he saw an odd spark in her eyes. He frowned. Mai coughed and smiled sheepishly at Madoka.

"What's up, Madoka-san?"

Madoka grinned then. "How would you like to help on a case?" she asked the smaller brunette. Oliver instantly bristled. No. Absolutely no. Not without him. He opened his mouth to say as such, but Mai beat him to it.

"Sure. Is it the case I've been dreaming about?"

"Yes, in fact." Madoka said, "I need a few words with Oliver. Go find Lin. He'll explain how this is going to work. My rules are a bit different than his."

Mai nodded, and got up. Madoka rounded on the young doctor. "I see that look on your face."

"Madoka, you of all people should know that she's a danger magnet." Oliver pointed out. "There was only one case that she _wasn't_ a target, and even then, she was." He snapped.

"My, my, Oliver, are you _worried_?" Madoka smirked, and Oliver sighed. "I just don't think SPR would _want_ to be held responsible for any injuries."

"So… you want to be there in case something happens?" Madoka laughed. "I'm taking Lin and Eugene."

Madoka snickered inwardly as she watched Oliver. And right on cue, he stiffened, his indigo eyes narrowed, and he very nearly snarled. Oh, this is _gold_ , Madoka thought, enjoying her student's instant rejection of the idea. "Or maybe I'll ask Adrian…"

"No." this time, he couldn't hold it in. There was _no_ way that he'd let her anywhere _near_ Adrian. His voice gave nothing away, thankfully, it was as flat and cold as usual. Most people wouldn't be able to tell he was angry at the thought of Mai being in such proximity with the elder of the second set of twins.

However, Madoka Mori was not 'most people', and she knew Oliver as well as she knew Lin. As well as she knew Eugene and Professor Davis. Almost as well as she knew herself. She grinned broadly. "Fine, I'll take the usual. Ayako, Monk, Yasuhara, Masako, Lin, and John. That work?

"Fine." Oliver glared, though, still displeased at being left out. Madoka snorted. "No use whining, Oliver." She all but purred. "You're the one who got banned."

An angry snarl ripped out of the younger man. Madoka smirked as she left him to his own thoughts.

"You pressed his buttons again." Lin murmured. Madoka smirked. "Someone has to." She replied. "Someone besides Gene… and Yasuhara."

Lin rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? Madoka, you're a grown woman…"

"Yeah, and he's a grown man… who still acts like a child." The 'grown woman' replied, with a slight sneer on her face. "Really, Lin, I'm only giving him a target that's as mean as him. It's not fair that he pokes and prods at Mai the way he does."

"She usually snipes and snarls right back at him when he does it." Lin countered. Madoka snorted.

"And it gets them _both_ going, and then their abilities get out of control." Madoka retaliated. Lin sighed. She did have a point, there, he thought, shaking his head. Mai and Oliver tended to bring out the worst in each other… sometimes.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

Mai waited for Madoka and Lin with the rest of the original SPR. There was, however, one new recruit joining them- and that would be Tohru. Which, honestly, was something that she was surprised at. Not that she was complaining.

Not that she could. She was too busy helping pack the van.

Though, at the moment, she couldn't help but thinking that it was a better choice than Dr. I'm-too-smart-for-you-to-understand-so-just-sit-back-and-watch Davis. She grinned at her friend. "So, you're joining us for this?"

"I'm joining you lot for another crazy, possibly screwed up mission, yes." Tohru smirked. Mai laughed. "Crazy and screwed up, yes. I don't even need to go to the place to see that."

"What did you see this time, Mai?" Ayako groaned. Mai smirked. "Enough to know that the boys probably shouldn't be on this one."

"This is the third ghost we've delbt with that has a vendetta against the male half of the species…" Tohru muttered. "Why _is_ that?"

"We get lucky, I guess…. Madoka, what do you think?" she asked, deffering to the older ghost hunter. The pink haired woman grinned as she shrugged. "we need to head out. That's what I think…" she sighed. "It's going to take us about three hours to get there."

Ayako huffed. "Who am I riding with?" she asked. Monk smirked. "Masako, John… and me." Mai chuckled as the woman let out an annoyed groan. Lin's lips twitched up into one of his rare grins, and Tohru snorted. She nudged Mai. "Are they always like that?"

"Might want to get used to it, Tohru. They're like a couple of first graders, they hid their feelings by fighting and picking on each other…" the girl muttered. Mai laughed.

"So true," she snickered. "Though I have to wonder if putting the two of them in the same car is ever a good idea…"

"Well, why do they?"

"I would truly love to see someone stop them."

Tohru grinned as the group loaded up. "Have any good dreams, lately, Mai?" The brunette frowned at the blond before shaking her head. "no. Not about this case. Not since that first dream that I told Madoka."

"Kinda seems like the same vibe as the other ghost… Yuki, right?"

Mai sighed. "Well… yes and no. I mean, Yuki felt like he betrayed her, but that was because he killed her. This one…. It's different. I get the feeling that she may have killed herself… Or, at least, that's the vibe that I'm getting from her…"

"But I thought that ghosts were created from violent acts _against_ them?" Tohru asked.

"That's not necessarily true." This was from Madoka, who had been listening to the two girls intently. Lin chimed in then. "If you look at it, isn't suicide a violent act against a person?" he asked Tohru froze, and frowned.

Mai grinned. "Exactly. For instance, one of the most haunted places on earth is Aokigahara… and that's because it is where people go to kill themselves." Mai pointed out.

Tohru nodded slowly. "I suppose that you have a point…" she murmured. "I never thought of it like that. But… how do you know that she committed suicide?" she asked. Mai snorted. "I've been hunting ghosts since I was fourteen. I learned how to tell the difference between at least murder and suicide." She grumbled. "And this lady _definitely_ killed herself."

"Fun."

"Especially when I get into the first-person dreams…" Mai grumbled. Her eyes suddenly started to get heavy. She yawned. "Well… here we go again…" She muttered as her eyes closed.

 _Mai sighed as she looked around. Thank the gods that she could control the dreams, now. It had taken a while, but she'd finally been able to. She watched as the woman walked up the stairs as if in a trance._

 _Tears streamed down her pale face. The moonlight hit those tears, making it look like diamonds. Mai could see the heartbreak on her face, and yet, even as she stepped forward to comfort (though she knew that she couldn't. Not really), she stepped backwards. There was something… different about her this time._

" _Liar…" she murmured, though her voice sounded detatched, even as she advanced on the room, it seemed as if she was in a trance._

 _Water dripped from somewhere._

 _The dream cut out then. Odd, Mai thought, still in the astral plane. That had never happened before. Something flashed on the horizon of her dream world… a child. A beautiful little girl…._

 _It took Mai a few seconds to realize that the girl's face held an expression of terror… and that her wide- open eyes…. Were blank. There was no life in that small body, and Mai stifled a scream when she realized one more thing: A blood red laceration that measured from one ear to the other. The little girl had been given the most macabre necklace she'd ever seen…_

" _He_ _ **lied**_ **."**

 _The whisper shot through her mind, though it sounded like it was right behind her. She spun around to face the woman from her dream._

 _She was the same woman on the staircase, though now, she wore a brilliantly white dress. Her hair was dark, and flowing around her, her eyes a pale blue. She smiled, an almost guileless smile._

" _To love and honor. To cherish…. He did neither." She giggled, and Mai stiffened. This woman was_ insane _. There was no other word for it._

Mai woke with a start, with Madoka shaking her. "We're here." The woman murmured. Mai shuddered. "Beautiful." She muttered.

"You had another dream, didn't you?"

"Yes. Her husband did something… broke their vows in some way. Her daughter was killed. She killed herself. I… I met the woman, and Madoka, she's insane."

"So was the ghost you, Tohru and the others went after in Japan right before you came here, right?"

Mai shook her head. "No. She was angry. This… this is a different level of crazy. I don't know if John, Monk, Yasu, or Lin should be here." She whispered, as fear came to her. "I don't know if it's safe for them…"

"We'll be fine, Mai." Lin said from behind Madoka.

Mai just shook her head. She'd heard that before. She'd _said_ it before. It had _never_ turned out well. She could only hope that Lin was right, and they'd be able to protect themselves...

Because she had a bad feeling that this particular ghost did not differentiate between men...

* * *

 _ **Okay, I am so sorry, again for the wait. It just… had a bit of trouble coming out. IT's also a bit shorter than my usual, so I apologize. I try to make these things about 10 pages in Word, and that just didn't work this time.**_

 _ **As you have guessed, this ghost is a bit different than Yuki. While Yuki was extremely angry- she'd been killed by the man she loved, this woman… well, she is bat-shit crazy… there is a difference.**_


	12. It Rains in Hell

_**And now, for the answering part of our program. Also: DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING… Except my OC's. The SONG IS NOT MINE.**_

 _Lizzieeliza1998:_ _ **Thank you. I do try. I wanted to give Mai a slightly different take (and by that, I mean completely different)**_

 _Wolfie:_ _ **Nice to hear from you again. I hope this lives up to your expectations.**_

 _Joys_ _ **: well…. You'll find out. In this chapter. And the next chapter.**_

 _Vampgirl1309:_ _ **wait no longer!**_

 _MirandaLovespie:_ _ **wait a bit. It'll get better.**_

 _ **Okay, so I think I should give you a warning: There is a mention of Sex in this chapter. Not enough to be rated M, but I need to warn you, anyway. It's not enough to be a citrus of any kind, and more awkward than anything. So, you are warned. Have fun with that….**_

* * *

Chapter 11- It Rains in Hell

 _I see your heart washing away_

 _And that's how you left me in the cold._

 _It's pitiful how you let me loose, better run, better run_

 _Your time is out, there's nothing you can do_

 _Better run, better run…_

 _ **~Angels- Vicetone feat. Kat Nestel**_

Mai and Tohru stepped out after Lin and Madoka, and stared up at the house. It was beautiful, that was for sure, it took both girls by surprise, though Tohru always thought that Mai's mansion in Japan was beautiful, with its half-traditional architecture, this house was full Western style. Large, elegant archways…. Beautiful gardens… the works.

However, it felt…. Dark. Darker than one would expect such brilliant- and white- architecture. The whole place must have been made of marble, because when Mai stepped in, all she felt was cold…

And then, she wasn't even in her own body.

 _She was descending the grand staircase, dressed in white, to her father's waiting arm. At last, she was to be married to the man she loved. Her papa would walk her down the aisle, and into his arms. Everything would be perfect…. She giggled to herself._

 _All those secret kisses and touches… she shivered with anticipation… tonight…..._

Mai gasped as she woke up. "So over this," she groaned, rubbing her head. "Ouch."

"Not surprising that you'd be hurting, Mai. You walked in, and crumpled. Most graceful faint I've ever seen." Yasuhara snickered. Mai stuck out her tongue. "I don't see _you_ getting highjacked by ghosts…" She grumbled.

"Yeah, but still. Lin had to carry you up. A job that was usually reserved for the Big Boss."

"Na- Dr. Davis never carried me _anywhere_ , thank you, Yasu." She retorted. "he was much too concerned with himself to do that."

Yasuhara snorted. "Okay, that's why he took the brunt of the blown when a _wall_ fell on you two during the job you took at my school." He drawled. Mai made a face. Maybe Na- Dr. Davis had indeed saved her life a few times… but _carrying_ her around was a different story, entirely.

He had never indicated that he was anything more than her _boss_ , she thought with a pang of hurt. He hadn't even wanted to be her _friend_.

"Anyway, what was the dream about this time, my dear dream Queen?" Yasuhara asked. "Madoka-san asked me to find out."

Mai sighed. "Well, this one was…. Her wedding day. She was getting married. She was so happy." She frowned. "She got married here. The staircase in the entryway. She was walking down to her father."

"That's it?" Yasuhara frowned. Mai shrugged. "For now. I guess I get to see her life after marriage." Mai murmured, frowning thoughtfully. "It's going to be interesting to see what happened…" she murmured.

Yasuhara didn't think she wanted to hear what he thought of that. Maybe she shouldn't be dreaming of this, at all, though. He frowned. Mai sighed and settled back on the couch. "I'm going to try and get some actual sleep, sans dreams, because I have a nasty feeling that I'm not going to get much normal sleep, and I need it."

Yasuhara nodded. "Yeah. I'll go tell Madoka." He said, still lost in his musings. This was proving to be a strange case. He walked out, and nearly ran into Tohru.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said softly, frowning. "I was about to check on Mai." Yasuhara nodded. "she's trying to get some sleep," he reported to the other girl. "She hit her head pretty hard, and she just wants to rest a bit." Tohru frowned slightly.

"I feel a bit useless… maybe Psyche should have come…" she said. Yasuhara blinked. His face went flat- serious. So, unlike his usual expression. "Why would you say that?" he asked. The young woman shrugged. "Psyche can heal. I can't. Hell, I can't even _control_ what I do." She replied. "I can't help my friend. It's kind of… annoying."

Yasuhara snorted. "I don't _have_ any psychic ability. Unlike the majority of people here. The only other one here who doesn't have any ability is Madoka. I feel useless quite a bit, myself. No use focusing on that, though. It's useless to brood."

Tohru blinked, and frowned up at the young man. He was usually rather blithe, if she remembered what Mai said about him. "How can you be so… cheerful all the time?" she asked.

"Hm?" he looked down at her, and gave her a vague smile. "Does it seem that way?" She blinked. He wasn't like other people, she realized. He _was_ angry. Angry that he hadn't been there to help Mai. He didn't show it as much, or he hid it. This, in Tohru's mind, made him a bit scarier than any one she'd ever met.

How do you deal with someone when you don't know what they're thinking, or feeling? She shivered, but followed him to the sitting room that they had taken over as a main base. "How're we looking, Madoka-san?" Yasuhara asked.

The woman turned to look at the two who had just entered the room. "We've got everything set up. How's Mai?"

"catching some Z's. She said she wanted to sleep a bit before all she did was dream the case." The bespectacled boy said cheerfully. Madoka nodded. "That's a good idea." She murmured, turning her attention back to the screen.

"There was something Mai told me before coming here. She said that you and the other men might be at risk. SO, I need you to stay here." Madoka smiled wryly. "If what Mai said is true- and she usually has pretty good instincts about these things, the ghost has a thing against men…"

"Like Yuki did…" Tohru grumbled.

"Yes and no. I don't' really understand, as I wasn't on that case, and only read it secondhand from Professor Davis, but from what I read, she didn't… kill… she only tried to hurt. This woman has claimed the lives of 12 men already, I'm not keen on making one of ours the next target." Madoka said it grimly.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _London, England_

The thunder was sounding outside of the classroom where they were. They faced off, Gene thought, much like Mai and Naru had only the day before. Silver eyes flashed and burned against green. They stood exactly ten feet apart. The air inside the building cracked with energy. From both.

Gene shook his head.

"Just be glad there's only two of them right now. If Mai was here, she'd be on the edge of a fight with Dr. Davis…" he heard someone behind him say. Psyche Mallory stepped forward, and looked at him. "So much repressed tension… they're actually _worse_ than Mai and Dr. Davis." She said. "I get the feeling that this has been going on longer, and therefore it's more… potent."

"According to Finn, it's been going on since they were ten." He muttered, shuddering, and thanking his lucky stars that Mai and Noll had not known each other that long. It would be maddening. Much like this was for Finn.

"My bloody git of a brother has problems…" Finn muttered, glaring at his brother. Psyche snorted. "What are they fighting about, anyway?"

"I have _no_ clue." Gene muttered. "They've been in a staring contest of sorts since I got here. About half an hour ago."

"He's goading her on, again." Finn grumbled.

"What's going on out here?" Professor Davis asked, frowning.

Eugene snorted. "The same thing that's been happening between Noll and Mai. This is the second edition…" he muttered. Martin sighed. "This place used to be so… quiet…" he murmured. "I _miss_ that…" Emiko snickered. " _Quiet_ is something that you'll _never_ have to worry about again." She told the professor.

"There's a thunderstorm outside," Oliver stated. "And as much as it interests me how a thunderstorm could magically appear out of nowhere at noon, on an otherwise completely cloudless day- and _only_ above this area of Cambridge, I suggest we stop them."

"Right…" Finn said. "Before _he_ gets hurt again." He walked over to his twin and dragged him away. Oliver, meanwhile, approached the small brunette. "Would you come with me for a bit, Miss. Fitzgerald?" he asked.

She looked up at him, silver eyes churning with anger. He frowned. They seemed different. Much like Mai's when she was angry… only instead of gold, hers were silver. "Fine," she hissed out. "So long as I don't have to deal with that…. Bloody arsehole for a while."

He took that as an affirmative, and just shrugged, motioning for her to follow him. "This way." He said. "We'll be going to the white room." Where he'd just gotten a table to replace the one that Mai had broken the day before.

When she sat, he got his notebook. "I have a few questions that Mai told me to ask you about." He frowned. "It seems that you know more about some of her abilities?"

Anabelle blinked. "She told you to ask me?" she asked, frowning. Oliver nodded. "When I asked her about the Biokenisis, she said that you knew more about it, to ask you." He stated. "I wanted to know more about it."

Anabelle nodded. "Ah. That does make sense. She wouldn't know, because it's a family trait… actually, its something that doesn't normally come out on its own. Eventually, much later in life, mind you, the ability might have been… unlocked, so to speak. However, you and your brother gave it a… jumpstart, so to speak."

At this, Oliver frowned. "In what way?"

Anabelle smirked. "You see, it came out almost from birth with me, as my mother and father were both around, and used their powers quite a bit. For Mai, however, it was different. Her father died when she was rather young. Her mother was careful not to use her abilities around her child, so, the power stayed dormant… until she met you- and, subsequently, your- at the time- dead brother, who visited her via astral projection. You both had psychic ability, and your…. Let's call it _aura,_ was absorbed by her."

"How does that work?" Oliver asked. He had an idea, but he wanted to be sure before writing it down. Anabelle grinned outright, sensing the thought.

"Much like a car with a dead battery. If you hook it up to another car, and give the battery some juice from the working battery, the other battery gets charged." She replied.

That was what he had thought. He nodded as he wrote it down. "and the weather thing," he continued. "tell me about that."

She sighed, now, and sat back in the chair. His eyes- a brilliant shade of blue, she noted- were completely fixed on her. An odd feeling, she thought, but shook it off. "Do you know the Viking myths about the Valkyrie?" she asked him. He nodded.

"They sustain themselves on the energy of the world, giving back electricity. The storms they cause are from their emotion." She went on. "The myths are based on biokinetic women like us. Actually, we're descended from them." She said. "As I said, the biokenisis is a family trait. When Mai, myself, or my mother get…. Upset… or elated…" she looked a bit uncomfortable at that last part, Oliver noted, "We… er… give off lightning." She sighed. "When we're angry, we start thunderstorms."

"What do you mean, elated?" he asked, ruthlessly. Her face went red.

"I… um…" she stuttered, and then she sighed, and looked down. "Put it this way, Dr. Davis," she muttered. "I _always_ knew when to make myself scarce…"

An eyebrow jumped up. Interesting. "Was your mother prone to anger?" this was almost as fun as needling Mai, he thought, fighting a smirk.

"No…" Anabelle muttered. "She was not." she…. Um… do you _really_ need to know this?" she asked finally.

"Unless I'm asking about someone else's personal life," he drawled. Finally, she found an opening. "You are." She hedged.

"Ah." Well, that answered that question, the young doctor thought, smirking, as he made another note in his book. And he'd keep an eye out for more lightning in the future. "thank you, Miss. Fitzgerald." He said. "That was all I wanted to know about."

She nodded and got up. The man was potent, she realized. It explained a bit were Mai was concerned, she thought as she exited the white room. She was frowning with the realization as she met up with the others. She couldn't quite figure out if she'd given him another thing to use against Mai… or not…

Though she had a bad feeling that that was _just_ what she'd just done.

Well, crap.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Esther House, Englad_

Mai woke up to the sound of thunder, and a face as red as a tomato. She could not _believe_ this…. She shuddered. She'd thought that she'd had it bad before, when she'd had dreams of _dying_ … and now, she was having dreams of the ghosts'…. She whimpered as she thought…. _Sex lives_.

How was that even _right_? She wondered. "what the _hell_?" she growled. It had been a first person dream, she recalled. She was _in_ the ghost's body…. And… no, the dream had been something she'd dealt with the first few years of her astral projecting. It had been her… and Naru.

She moaned, and slammed a pillow against her own face. Oh, god, it was humiliating. And the lighting outside _didn't help matters_. It was _him_ in the dream… and she could still _feel_ every kiss and touch… and…. And….

She let out a quiet moan of embarrassment. Oh, dear _Kami-Sama,_ what the hell?

"Mai, are you okay?" Tohru asked from the bed next to hers. Mai's face burned as she answered. "I… had another dream…" she muttered.

"Okay…. But… uh, why are you…?"

"I _really_ don't wanna talk about it." Mai muttered.

"You realize that you're going to have to tell Madoka, right?" she asked. "What's going on?" Ayako had woken up, and Mai whimpered. Oh, kami, why?

"Mai had a dream… and it's…. well, I don't know. She won't tell me what the hell happened…"

"Ooh… it was one of _those_ dreams, wasn't it, Mai?" This time, it was Masako who spoke, with an odd sort of knowledge in her voice. Mai whimpered. "If by 'one of those', you mean it was a first person dream of our ghost, then yes."

"Madoka's up with Lin… they're on watch right now."

"I am _not_ doing this in front of _LIN_." Mai hissed. "It's humiliating enough."

And that was when it dawned on Tohru just what the other girl had dreamed about. "oh- OH….. wow. Kami, Mai…"

"What? What am I missing?" Ayako asked. Tohru started snickering. "Oh, god the only way it could get worse is if you weren't even _her_ and it was…." She gaped, suddenly, as Mai's face actually started to glow in the dark. "Oh. My. _God_ …." She gaped.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Ayako growled, as Tohru started outright laughing. Masako started to smother her own laughter. "Do you remember when Mai would dream as if _she_ was the ghost?" she asked the redhead. Ayako nodded slowly. "Yes…"

"Well… it seems that she had a dream like that again… although it also seems that it was the ghost's… erm… honeymoon…"

"Ah… Oh!" Ayako shrieked. "You had a _s-"_

" _Don't say it, Ayako_." The small brunette hissed. "I don't wanna think about it."

"And yet you still have to tell Madoka…" Tohru drawled. "So just go do that… while the dream is fresh."

"I am _not_ telling her I had a dream about s-s.." She couldn't even say the word. Oh, this was so mortifying.

"You have to. It pertained to the case." Ayako drawled. Mai let out a sound of misery, but got up.

As soon as she walked out, the three remaining women burst into laughter, and she felt her ears burn. God, why?

Madoka and Lin were indeed in the HQ when she walked in. "Madoka- san… I…. had another dream…" she muttered. The pink haired woman looked up and blinked. "Oh, great. I was just…." Lin looked over at her, as she got out a notebook. Mai winced.

"What was it?" Madoka asked, preparing to write it down. "First person…" Mai muttered, her face was still red, and Madoka frowned. "Mai, what happened in the dream?" she asked.

" _Honeymoon_." Mai choked the word out.

Madoka gaped, "Oh… dear. Has this ever happened before?"

Mai shook her head. "No… this was actually the first… I can tell when a dream pertains to the case because of the… err, feeling I get. The feeling was in this one… but… it was _me_ …. And…." She cleared her throat, "Dr. Davis." She said.

"Was the dream like the one at the family inn?" Lin asked. "you never told us that one either."

Mai nodded. "Well, that was tame compared to this." She muttered. "It was just a hug. I couldn't tell the difference at the time, between Dr. Davis and Eugene… because I didn't know that Eugene had existed. Looking back, now…. I know that the other person who jumped with the princess was Dr. Davis. It was the same with this dream. It was _me_ , physically, but it was _her_ mentally. It was _him_ physically, but the _husband_ mentally." She frowned. "If that even makes sense…"

"No, it makes perfect sense." Madoka said it slowly, writing it down. "Do you suppose that night has something to do with the case?"

"She's manically attached to him. It's almost obsession, the way she loves him. In fact, I'd say it _is_ obsession… kind of like…. Uh… did you ever watch any anime?" both of the older hunters nodded. Mai nodded. "She's like the _Yandere_ character. Obsessed with the man she loves. To the point that she will hurt anyone who gets in the way." She said.

Madoka blinked, taken aback. "Well, that's a way to put it."

"It's the _only_ way to put it. In one of the other dreams I had, there was a girl… a girl who looked quite a bit like the woman who haunts this place…. I think it was her daughter. I think she may have killed her." Madoka gasped, and Lin stopped typing. "Are you sure?" the older woman asked. Mai nodded. "Almost completely." She said.

"Well, _shit_ , we've got ourselves a hell of a ghost…" Madoka grumbled.

"I'm going back to bed." Mai muttered. "Maybe I'll have a dream where she's killing someone… I think I'd rather dream of that…"

Lin snorted.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _The Next Night_

She slept fitfully after that. Still, her dreams gave her a bit of insight, and she decided to accompany Yasuhara to the Library. "I can do other things besides sleep, you know," she had snapped at Ayako, who had suggested that she stay and rest more.

The dream still scratched at the back of her mind, and she wanted to find the ghost who'd made her dream that… and give her a good hard bitch slap. God, even thinking about the dream…. It still made her blush.

Yasuhara was gleeful at this. "Aw, some dream you had last night if you're _still_ red…" he drawled. Mai rolled her eyes. "Shut _up_ , Yasuhara," she muttered. "I don't wanna hear it."

At the library, they searched, until Yasuhara let out a sound of victory. "Got it! Woman jumps off the cliffs after death of her daughter!"

"Is there a picture?" Mai asked, craning her neck to see what Yasuhara was reading. "Matches your description of miss sex dream."

"Yasuhara…" She growled menacingly.

"Sorry, sorry. Had to be said. Anyway, according to the paper, they talked to her husband, who says that she'd been so distraught over the death that she'd thrown herself off the cliff." Mai frowned, and scanned. "Names, Yasuhara, I need names."

"Mr. and Mrs. Drake." The other hunter replied promptly, "Jacob and Cassandra."

She blinked. The name did ring a bell. She looked back into her pile. "Hm… this is interesting…. It looks to me as if Sempai was out a-wandering…" she murmured. Yasuhara snorted. "So… he was a hound dog?"

"So, it seems..." Mai murmured. "According to ye old gossip column, he was quite the wanderer…"

"How bad are we talking."

"He was always trying to find himself… he went every night looking for himself, and… well, on the way, he found Ruth, Gladys, Rosemary… and Erving…." Mai's voice was bland, as she quoted the musical number.

"So, he had it coming…?" Yasuhara asked, grinning as he caught on.

"Yeah. He had it coming." She answered dryly.

"He only had himself to blame…." He sighed dramatically.

They started getting strange looks from passerby book seekers, though some of them smirked, and the librarian snickered.

"So, class act, this guy."

"Yeah. No kidding."

They went on reading, right up until the phone call came. "Hello?" Yasuhara asked. " _Mai, Yasuhara, get back to the mansion. John's missing."_ Madoka's voice was sharp.

Mai froze. "Did he go on the road?"

" _Yes."_

"She shouldn't have attacked…" Mai muttered. "John's single, and he _isn't_ the type to cheat…"

"I don't' think she _cares,_ Mai." Yasuhara said. "She's crazy, and she's been wronged."

"But…"

" _Masako is missing, as well. But she went missing inside the mansion…"_ Mai frowned. True, she'd sensed a ghost in the mansion, as well… but…

"I need to astral project again, first, Madoka. Maybe I can find something."

" _Get back here, don't let Yasuhara out of your sight."_

They broke the speed limit to get back. Ayako and Monk were both looking nervous. "She'll keep him around." Mai said, "She's _got to_. He hasn't done anything."

She sat, cross legged on the floor, before she closed her eyes and took a breath. She sent herself out of her body.

 _She walked up to the room… the room that had been the place where the daughter had died. While she passed the master bedroom, she heard it. Well, she heard_ them _. She did not pause as she made her journey, coming to a stop at the daughter's room._

 _Masako was there._

" _Mai." She whispered, not looking afraid. "I'm okay… but John…"_

" _Tell me what's going on." Mai snapped. "I can't_ do _anything without it."_

" _I can answer that." Another voice said. Mai turned to face another ghost. She looked calm, though the macabre cut on her throat did not seem to stop bleeding. She grinned darkly. "My father… cheated on my mother."_

" _Funnily enough, I figured that out, myself." Mai snapped. The girl snorted. "he wasn't quiet about it, or his wide range of lovers, both male and female."_

" _Yes, I noticed_ that _, too."_

" _eventually, he started looking at me." The girl continued. Mai recoiled. "Oh god, that's just…."_

" _Sick? Yes. Both my parents were. My mother… well, she did not take too kindly to my father's… escapades… and she became distraught. When he started looking at me… that was when she lost it. It was bad enough that he was cheating, but… then it was a whole new low."_

" _No kidding. What the hell?" Mai growled._

 _Masako let out a strangled whimper. "Why did you snag Masako?"_

" _I needed to tell someone how to end my mother's…. haunting."_

" _Makes sense. How do I do that?"_

" _Bring her to me." The girl said simply. "She killed me. But not because she was jealous of me. She was insane, and I had been about to leave."_

" _Fun."_

" _Yes, well, my father was starting to creep me out."_

" _So, just get her spirit here?"_

" _that's the gyst of it…" The ghost nodded. "Do you have a way to do that?"_

 _Mai blinked. "The dolls…."_

" _What?" this was from Masako. Mai looked at the other medium. "The dolls. You put the name of the person on it and the doll becomes like a substitute for the person whose name is written on it."_

" _That… just… might work…. IF you put the husband's name on it…" Masako whispered._

 _Mai nodded. "Yeah, I know."_

Mai woke up. "Okay, Lin, can you make one of those dolls, again?"

Lin nodded. "How will this help?" he asked. "The name of the man is Jacob Drake. Birthday, December 12." She growled, not answering. "I told you guys to be careful. Don't you _listen_?" Madoka gaped. Lin frowned. "We did not think…"

"Oh, you mean like _I_ don't think?" she snarled. "Because _my_ track record is _so_ good when it comes to this shit, right? Because I've _never_ been the target of an _insane_ and possibly _murderous_ spirit, and nearly gotten _killed_ because I didn't _think_ I was in danger, right?"

Ayako and Monk both gaped at the young, rather pissed woman. The storm outside grew worse. "Because _every_ time I blow you off and _don't_ think about my own safety, I _don't_ end up getting hurt, or nearly maimed, or nearly _killed by the crazy ass ghost!"_

No one dared speak. She was right, Lin thought wryly. She glared. "Make me the damn doll, Lin. I gotta save the exorcist." Her eyes ewere glowing golden, as she started _growling_.

"Next time, _LISTEN TO ME_." She yelled, as she stalked outside. She looked back at the house. "I wish I had a chance to meet _you_ , you bastard." She hissed, " _You're_ the reason she's _like_ this." Lin came out, holding the doll. "As you requested. "Good, clear out of the fucking enterance hall. No one go in until I get back." She snarled.

She stalked off. Down the road, and held out the doll. She used herself as a conduit, letting the power flow through her. "Cassandra Drake!" she called, though her voice came out different. Male. "Come out."

* * *

 _ **Whew. That was a doozy. I kinda got carried away. FYI: the Japanese are a shit ton more reserved about PDA. Hence why Mai wasn't so keen about sharing the dream about the two lovers in the anime that jumped off the cliff. This was a whole new level of PDA, though it was Private. But… well, temper. Read and Review. As always, thank you for reading, AOP**_


	13. And Angels Can Be Bad

_**So, I'm going to level with you… I did**_ **not** _ **expect it to turn out this way… I really didn't… but it happened. I never believed it when an author explains in their stories that the thing took a life of its own, but damn, did this one ever do that. I got an adrenaline rush writing this, it just sort of ripped out of me…. Anyway, this chapter's a bit (ridiculously) fast-pace. Hope you enjoy.**_

 _ **I DON'T OWN GHOST HUNT, ITS CHARACTERS, OR THE SONG. And yes, this is the same song from the last chapter…. This case just kind of screamed it out at me.**_

 _ **Now, to answer your comments, or the comments that have all come before I posted this damn thing:**_

 _Lizzieeliza1998:_ _ **thank you again. And, what do you expect after living on the streets, and then joining an almost gang and having powers that require constant control? I'm secretly proud of her…. I never did like the damsel in distress, Mary-Sue heroin, and frankly, girls like Mai get cast too often in that light. She's an amazing character to begin with, but after what she's gone through, anyone's personality would change.**_

 _MirandaLovespie:_ _ **I do my best, and I will continue to do so. Honestly, the whole sequence was fun to write, though I have to admit, that's what**_ **my** _ **reaction to such a thing would be. What made it worse was that- like her first dreams of the Astral nature, she was experiencing the ghost's past**_ **herself** _ **. The voice change thing was a part of her manipulating her own abilities as well as that of the doll's- really, she created an illusion that made the ghost follow her.**_

 _Wolfie:_ _ **Astral projection gets tough, what can I say?**_

 _RichkeyZero:_ _ **Here's what happens next.**_

 _ **Also, taking a poll. should I jump this up from T to M? I'm starting to think Mai's foul mouth is getting the better of me… also, I can write steamier things if it gets bumped up to M. Tell me what you think.**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 12- Angels Can Be Bad_**

 _I can't remember when you hurt me so bad_

 _But now the tables turned, Apocalypse is coming_

 _I can't remember when you left me so sad_

 _But in the end, I learned it rains in hell_

 _And angels could be bad_

 _ **Angels- Vicetone Feat. Kat Nestel**_

Mai was surprised at how quickly she appeared. She was indeed beautiful. Or, had been. However, John was not with her. This was disconcerting to the young woman.

 _Jacob…_

The ghost smiled, and held out her arms. _You came back for me…_

Mai just nodded, knowing that Cassandra saw not her, but the mirage of her husband. Her cheating bastard of a husband, but Mai couldn't care less about that. She just beckoned the ghost forward. "Let's go home." She said.

Cassandra hesitated. _I cannot leave._ She murmured. Her eyes were narrowed suddenly. _And it's your fault._ She said it suddenly.

"I want to try and work it out." Mai said, almost desperately. "I'll never cheat on you again…"

The ghost still hesitated. She needed to _move_ , Mai thought, thinking of John. Masako's large, violet eyes flashed in her mind. She didn't know that John was missing. Shit. What was she going to tell the other woman if she didn't bring the exorcist home? She pushed more of her energy through the doll. The illusion needed to work just long enough to get her to the entryway.

What was she going to tell Madoka? Or the others? She steeled herself. Now was _not_ the time for that. Now, she needed to get the ghost to the entryway. Apparently, her daughter would take care of her from there. Cassandra followed.

 _ **This will not be easy. As soon as she sees that she's been tricked, she will attack…**_ another voice came into her mind. She knew that voice. It was Cassandra's daughter.

 _ **Victoria. In any case, be ready. You will need to fight.**_

'Now you tell me,' Mai thought back in the other apparition's direction.

 _ **I thought it was a given….**_

Mai snorted quietly, as she lead the distraught woman back toward her former house. She edged up the front porch… and then…

 _You are_ not _Jacob…._

Aw, shit.

 _You are_ _ **not**_ _Jacob. Where is Jacob?_ The woman howled, she lashed out, long nails turning to claws as she advanced the young woman.

"That depends, bitch, where the fuck is my friend?" she hissed, dodging an attack, as she performed a spell. One to trap. She'd worked endlessly on that spell with Anabelle.

 _Release me!_ She screamed.

"How about _no_." Mai growled. Lin, Madoka, Yasuhara, and the others came out. Ayako gasped, and latched onto Monk. The ghost saw the men and hissed, throwing herself at the barrier that Mai had forced up.

 _Release me!_

"I think not." Mai growled. "Where is John?"

 _Dead! As they_ _ **all**_ _should be!_ She shrieked. Mai's eyes glowed gold. "For your own soul's sake, you'd better hope that he's not dead." Her voice had turned thick, somewhere between a hiss and a growl. Guttural. "You'd better hope with _all_ your immortal soul that he _is not dead_."

She lost control for a second, the fear for her friend momentarily took over. But, unfortunately, that moment was all that Cassandra needed. She broke through Mai's spell, and launched herself at Monk. Mai did not think. She screamed. " _Rin, Hyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!_ " the spell fell as naturally as rain from her mouth. She was battling her own fury as she performed the nine cuts.

Cassandra screamed, as the nine cuts imbedded themselves into her ghostly back. She turned instantly, and launched herself at Mai once more. As Cassandra was now more demon than human thanks to all the people she'd killed (maybe it had not been as many as Urado, but that didn't seem to matter), she was tangible enough to touch Mai. The woman slammed into her, knocking her down.

The next thing that Mai felt was considerable pain as Cassandra stuck her hand straight into Mai's chest. Directly over her heart. Mai screamed. Lightning struck. Chaos reigned. And no one could figure out what to do, as the flash of natural electricity hit its target- Mai.

Lin whistled, calling forth his Shiki. They went at the ghost, and restrained her. Mai panted as she got up, though now her shirt was torn to shreds, hanging off of her small frame, as if Cassandra had ripped at it. She was bleeding, five circular slashes… directly over her heart. She stood her ground, her dark hair had fallen out of her braid, the scrunchie holding it up long gone. She looked like a wild animal, her skin crackled with energy… almost like she got power from it.

"Fuck… You…" she gasped, coughing, as she glared at Cassandra. "You don't _fucking_ get to kill people because you married a _fucking_ _shitbag_. That is just not _allowed_. Especially when it's _my_ family." Her words crackled with energy and rage as she stood in front of the bound ghost.

Monk was murmuring his own mantra, helping keep the ghost at bay, though he needn't have…. Lin's Shiki were rather strong. Mai looked down at the ghost in front of her. "you will _tell me where John is or so help me god I will fucking destroy you_."

 _Never! He is Dead!_ Mai let out a shriek, a sound that was completely feral. She was not just angry, she was livid at this ghost. Lin watched in abstract amazement as the girl's physical appearance seemed to change more- furiously glowing, gold eyes became almost completely eclipsed by her pupils, which had dilated. Her canine teeth seemed to get… longer? Lin blinked at what he was seeing, this was impossible.

Not one of her colleagues from SPR had ever seen her like this. They had never seen Mai when she went feral on someone- actually, Tohru had only seen it once, when the younger girl had followed her home one day, and seen her family.

It had terrified her then, and nothing, it seemed, had changed. Mai was different. She was strong, and right now, Tohru could only compare Mai to one of the warrior queens of old. As it was, Cassandra shrieked her displeasure at the living girl and lashed out again, managing to get one arm free of Lin's Shiki.

"MAI!" Ayako screamed, as the wind picked up. The ghost's hand raked at the younger girl's face, leaving bloody lacerations. Mai snarled something, and a ball of blue _fire_ appeared in her palm. She threw it at the ghost. It hit the woman in the face.

"You don't get who you're dealing with here." She snarled, as the ghost screamed, the fire had actually touched her. "I'm _not_ giving you a choice. You're _going_ to tell me where he is. In fact, you're going to bring him back." She hadn't noticed it, but she was no longer speaking English. She had reverted to Japanese.

She cast her eyes at Lin. "Tell me the spell." She snarled at the Chinese man.

"That spell is extremely advanced, as you have been told." The Chinese man said, coolly. Mai snorted. "I don't give a shit, Lin. Tell me the fucking spell."

"What the hell is she going to try and do?" Madoka yelled over the wind, trying to brush her hair out of the way.

"She's going to try and turn Cassandra into a Shiki." He replied, his bangs whipped around his face, one blue eye focused on the ghost still being held by his _own_ Shiki.

"But… doesn't she have to be an Onmiyoji?"

"I've been _training_ with a fucking Onmiyoji for the better part of two fucking years!" Mai yelled. "Tell me the gods- damned spell!"

Lin hesitated. "God damn it, Lin, we don't have time for this! I can _do it._ give me the spell!" Mai bellowed. "It's the only way to get John!"

"By binding Her to you?" he growled. Mai looked at him. "I don't have time to argue. Give me the spell!"

"Lin." He looked at Madoka. He was surprised to see the odd look on her face. "Give her the spell. She can do it."

He sighed. " _Yīdàn gūshēn yīrén, zài yīqǐ, wǒmen shì yī kē xīn. Shòudào mófǎ, guāngxiàn hé shèngrén de shùfù, tōngguò wǒmen de shídài gòngtóng shēnghuó. Bèi yán, ròu, huǒ suǒ shùfù, wǒmen kěyǐ fēnxiǎng yīyàng de yùwàng ma? Yóu zhòng shén gòngtóng huìjí, ràng wǒmen yǒngyuǎn bùyào jiūjié. Mìfēng zài yīqǐ, nǐ hé wǒ. Yīgè rén huózhe, lìng yīgè bùsǐ_!"

Mai turned back to the ghost, a viciously victorious look on her face. "You're _mine_ , bitch." She hissed. Then, she repeated the spell. Word for word, though, unlike Lin, she put her power- a considerable amount- into the spell. Like she had been taught, by both Takeshi and Lin, she added a personal touch to the words. She drew a pentagram around the ghost, conjured candles, and spoke, using Chinese. " _Wǒ yǐ shuǐ, tǔ, huǒ, kōngqì hé yìzhì de míngyì wèn_ " As she spoke, the first part, each of the conjured candles lit with fire. As the first was lit, the rain from the thunderstorm grew heavier. The second candle brought forth greener grass, while the third lit, and the fire grew larger than usual. The fourth brought the scent of the wind, cool and fresh, and the fifth seemed to burn with Mai's power. She recited the spell that Lin had given her.

Cassandra started to scream and thrash, to no avail. Mai was using every ounce of power she had to finish this. Her way. The woman was all but a demon, now- much like Urado. That much was evident. She had stopped killing those who had wronged other woman, and had started on those with no crime against them.

When the spell was done, when the vengeful spirit was tied to the brunette, she glared. "You will bring me John. You will do it _now_." She snarled. Unable to disobey, Cassandra- in a different form- a badger- disappeared.

Yasuhara spoke first. "A badger…" he drawled. Mai looked over at him. "Revenge, and self-expression." She said. "Fits, doesn't it?"

"How do you even _know_ that?" the man asked, incredulous. Mai shrugged. Don't know…" she muttered, as Cassandra returned. With John. Mai sighed with relief. He was alive. Hurt, and barely breathing, but alive. Finally, Mai thought, she was done for now. She swayed, but eyed Cassandra. "Begone for now…" she growled. The badger disappeared.

Mai nodded to herself, and turned to Lin. "Told you I could…."

She never finished the sentence, and crumpled to the ground. "Mai!" Yasuhara yelled, running to her. "Shit, she's lost a lot of blood!" he freaked out, ripping what was left of her shirt away. Lin and Madoka were at her side in seconds. Ayako shooed away the black-haired boy, and inspected the girl she'd once thought of as a daughter.

"You little _idiot_ …" She hissed, as she used the tattered shirt to stop the bleeding. She turned to Monk "Get an ambulance, Monk, _Now._ She needs blood, and she needs it soon. So does John." She glared. "And _someone, go find Masako!"_

"Spoken for." The petite medium spoke. "I found my way down with Victoria Drake's help. She moved on shortly after." She looked at the yard. "It looks like a battle was waged here…" she murmured. Lin snorted.

"Something like that…" he grumbled, looking at Mai.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge, England, around the same time_

Anabelle looked up, suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she gasped. "Mai!" She yelped, running from the room. She frantically grabbed at a phone, the others followed behind her in confusion. "What's going on, Anabee?" Finn asked, worried.

"I don't know!" the young woman wailed. "That's what I'm going to find out. God, I could _feel_ it from here! What is she _thinking_?"

"Feel _what_?" Adrien growled. She shot him a withering glare before dialing Madoka's number.

" _Hello?"_

"Madoka, it's Anabelle. What the _hell_ did Mai just _do_?"

" _So, you felt it, then?"_

"Yes. That's why I'm calling. Where are you, what happened?"

" _We're on our way to the hospital…."_

"What?" This got Oliver's attention, and he snatched the phone out of Anabelle's hand. "Who was hurt?"

" _John…."_ She said. " _and Mai."_

"What happened?" Eugene yelped. "What was the ghost after this time? Why'd Mai get hurt if this lady hates _men_?"

"… _I can't explain it. You'll have to wait until we get back_." Madoka said. _"We've got the whole damn thing on camera, and I honestly cannot_ wait _for you lot to see it."_ the woman was seething. _"It's a sight to see…_ "

"…. She did something that was either stupid, dangerous, or really, really, impulsive…" Psyche muttered from behind Eugene. Everyone froze.

" _All three. Definitely life threatening…."_ Madoka growled.

"Why is she going to the hospital?" Martin Davis had just entered the room. All business. Madoka snorted over the phone. " _Blood loss. The ghost attacked her pretty bad, after she learned that Mai had tricked her, she went_ all _out. Tried to yank Mai's heart out… slashed at her face when Lin pinned the bitch with his Shiki… and that was all_ before _Mai decided to make a Shiki out of her."_

"She did _What?!_ " Eugene yelped.

" _Turned the ghost into a familiar."_ Madoka growled. _"So she exhausted herself psychically, as well. She needs to get stitched up."_

"Why did she turn the ghost into a Shiki?" Martin asked, frowning.

" _Because the ghost took John. We caught it on camera. The whole thing. I already checked. The ghost is visible. And Audible."_

Martin's eyes widened, and a grin broke across his face. "Excellent!" he said. "That's going to make for an interesting show."

" _Oh, you have_ no _idea, Martin."_ Madoka said drolly.

"What hospital are you going to?" the professor asked.

" _Royal United Hospital, a bit outside Bath."_ The researcher replied. She sighed. " _she's got five lacerations in her chest, from where Cassandra- the ghost- tried to rip her heart out, and four nasty cuts in her face, from the harpy trying to rake out her eyes. It may scar over… not that Mai'll_ care. _She fought like a warrior, professor. It was actually a bit scary."_

Oliver frowned. That did not sound _at all_ like Mai. She'd always been more… "If you say she's always been more Docile, you'd be right…if this were four years ago." Psyche told him. Catching onto his thoughts.

Madoka hung up, after saying they'd arrived at the hospital, and Oliver rounded on the brunette. Green met blue.

"I thought you didn't _have_ telepathy." Oliver snarked. Psyche snorted. "Oh, please, your thoughts are written on your face. I don't _have_ to read your mind. There was this once… I'd just gotten to Japan, we got attacked on our way to a café right around the corner from the campus, and she did a 180 from sweet college student to a Yankee bitch from hell."

Emiko and Izumi snickered at the American woman's description. Kuroda smirked as well, but turned to the young man. "She's changed." She reminded him. "Four years is a _long_ time, Dr. Davis. She once told me that you said she had instincts much like that of an animal?" she cocked her head to the side, waiting for an answer. Oliver nodded. She smiled "She's gotten much more… feral is the word, I guess, in that time. We used to tease her about being like a momma wolf- territorial and protective as hell. If someone in her family is threatened, she will attack, and it is _never_ pretty."

"Really?" Martin looked even more interested. "Has anything else changed? Besides her attitude and personality?"

The five young women looked at each other, before Anabelle answered slowly. "She said her eyesight's gotten better, as has her night vision."

"her sense of smell, too." Emiko added. Izumi put her two-sense into this as well. "her instincts go into overdrive, sometimes. She can tell when someone enters her… territory, I guess you call it, immediately. She doesn't like it when someone intrudes on her space."

"Her hearing." Psyche recalled. "She mentioned something about that, too. She can hear ranges that nobody else can. She picks up voices of ghosts that not even an EVP can pick up."

Oliver was gaping as the girls spoke. This was… ridiculous. There was no way that all of this could be true. "She noticed her eyesight was getting better when she found out that she had 20/10 vision… that was four years ago. She took another test before coming to Cambridge… and it was 20/5." Kuroda said it thoughtfully. "She's got the best vision of any human I've ever met."

"20/5 vision is almost impossible without surgery." Oliver said stiffly. Kuroda shrugged. "Test her yourself when she gets back." She returned. "I'm not here to argue. I'm telling your father what we know."

"Why didn't she tell me all of this herself?"

"You may not have asked, you know between your constant pokes at her intelligence and egging her on…" Izumi drawled, buffing her nails on her jacket. "Who can blame the girl?"

"Now, Miss. Masumoto," the professor drawled. "Let's not antagonize my son, hm?"

"Sorry, professor…" She did not sound sorry at all, Finn thought with a smirk.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Two days later, Royal United Hospital, outside Bath, England_

Mai had not woken up. Because she was related to her, the only one allowed to go in was Anabelle- though the rest of her adoptive family of sorts raged at that one. Anabelle came out finally, looking tired, but happier. She sunk into a seat beside Adrian- not caring that he'd tried to start yet _another_ fight with her on the way to the hospital- and closed her eyes.

"How is she?" Finn asked from beside Tohru. He wasn't sure what to think about the almost silent girl, but she was rather gorgeous. Tohru's eyes were trained on Anabelle, who shrugged tiredly. "She used a _lot_ of energy fighting and then sealing the crazy ghost lady to herself."

"I thought only onmiyoji could do that?" Anabelle frowned as she looked at Lin. He shrugged. "Not quite. Technically, anyone can bind a spirit to them, as long as they know the words and have the power to back it up."

Oliver got up. "I'm going in." he said simply. Completely disregarding the rules of the hospital, and walking into the room.

She lay there, unconscious. Her upper torso was bandaged up, and her left cheek was covered in gauze. Her eyes were closed, and her body, he knew, was covered in bruises from hitting the ground at high velocity, and then rolling. She was a mess, and he intended on chewing her out for this. He'd never been so worried.

He could admit that much. The girl fascinated him more than another living being ever had. The feeling had gotten stronger with age and with distance. He wanted to know _everything_. She wasn't leaving anything out this time. It was a matter of life or death.

"Wake up, Mai." He growled. "Everyone's out there worrying. Even John is awake and worried." Actually, he'd never seen the exorcist that angry at someone, either. When the young man had learned what Mai had done, he flew into a bit of a rage.

It had been even more terrifying than watching his mother get angry, or at least that was what Eugene said. Oliver hadn't believed it. Then again, it was always the quiet, even tempered ones that had the worst tempers. Or, so they said.

As if he'd spoken the magic words. He heard a soft moan from the bed. He turned, to see her eyelashes flutter, before opening. He frowned. Her eyes were… different.

Where they used to be warm, cinnamon brown, they were… lighter. A mix of gold, russet and brown. "Ow…" she muttered, as she closed her eyes again, and threw her (really heavy) arm over her face. "Too bright."

He walked over and shut the light off.

"Thanks, Naru…" she murmured. He sighed. "You shouldn't move around." He stated, walking over to her. He took her arm and laid it at her side again- thank god, she'd used the one that did _not_ have needles imbedded in it. she snorted.

"Yeah. Like you follow that verdict _so_ well when you end up in one of these places…" she grumbled. He smirked at that. "I am not the one that used a spell that was out of my league. I am also not the one that wasted my energy keeping a ghost at bay, or throwing fire."

Mai winced. "Oh, gods, I'm going to get it when I get out of here…" she looked at him, on blurry reddish-gold eye open and resting on him. "You're going to give it to me too, aren't you?"

"No. John is pissed though. As is your housekeeper and your… er butler…. Your cousin- who subsequently called your aunt- will too. As well as Madoka, Lin, and possibly everyone else." He smirked.

"You don't have to sound so smug, Naru." She grumbled.

"Too much energy to call me Dr. Davis, I see?"

"Shut up."

"That is no way to talk to your boss, Miss. Sullivan."

Mai snorted and made a face. "You aren't my boss, anymore, Naru." She pointed out. "Your _dad_ is my boss. Thank you _very_ much."

"Oh, I forgot him, as well. Though I don't think you need to be _as_ worried…. Especially after he sees the footage that Madoka brought of the whole thing." At this, Mai did groan. "Oh, god, please tell me she only got the last part where I sealed the ghost?"

"No. she's showing all the footage, starting with the first time you… collapsed, was it?"

"Shit…."

"Language, Mai." he was actually enjoying this. The fact that her face- that had been horribly pallid when he came in the room- had flooded with color, much to his relief. "Shut it. I'm tired." She moaned.

"What happened that you don't want me to see?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She groaned again. "The horrible witch made me participate in a part of her personal life that I _really_ didn't want to… and she did it the way it used to happen, which means _you_ were there, too."

"I believe it was Gene." He said, frowning. His brother had been the one in her dreams when she'd first started having them. Mai snorted.

"No. It was you." She replied. "I can tell the difference between you and your brother. I've been able to pick out the differences, funnily enough, for myself. Even looking back into my old Astral Projections, I can pick you out from Eugene."

"How?"

"You don't smile. Your mannerisms are a bit more formal."

His frown deepened. "hm… interesting."

"Yeah…" she was nodding off. "'Mm sleepy…" She murmured, slurring the words. She yawned, a small fang (that had yet to shrink down after her fight with the nearly demonic entity) flashed as she did, and he blinked, fascinated.

He could not ask about it, however, as she had drifted off into sleep. That annoyed him. But he knew well enough that she'd woken up once, and- much like getting her to call him Naru again (which, he realized with a smirk, was all she'd called him upon her waking), the first time was the hardest.

He walked out of the room. Everyone stood up. "Well?" Ayako asked, sharply. Eugene was staring. He let a small smirk make its way on his face. "She woke up." He reported. "But only for a few seconds. She's out like a light, but she's coming out of it."

They all sat down, many breathing sighs of relief. "Oh, thank god…" Anabelle whispered, leaning against Adrian. "We were so worried…"

"She's okay?" they turned to see John, who had changed from the hospital gown to jeans and a t-shirt. He looked tired, but otherwise, he was okay. He'd just been discharged. Lin nodded. "She's okay, asleep again."

The blond nodded. "Good."

"She's got a Shiki… does that mean she's an onmiyoji now?" Emiko asked the tall Chinese man. He blinked and shook his head. "An onmiyoji is a practitioner of onmyōdō. She is a spiritualist, but not an Omniyoji." He replied.

"Are you all here for Miss. Sullivan?" a nurse asked. Professor Davis stood up. "yes, we are."

"She's going to be discharged the next time she wakes up." The nurse said promptly. She frowned. "Just… make sure she knows how to take care of those stitches, and she'll be allright."

"Will do, ma'am. Thank you." The professor said. He looked at the others in the hospital waiting room. "Finally, time to go home…" he murmured.

A chorus of agreements sounded.

* * *

… _ **We**_ _ **ll…** that **happened…. Not quite sure why… but it happened… anyway, read and review, and, as always, Thank you AOP**_

 _ **By the way, the spell that she said to bind the crazy bitch to her is translated as follows:**_

 _ **Once alone, born apart, Together, we are a single heart. Bound by magic, light, and Sage, Live together through our Age. Bound by salt, flesh, and Fire, may we share the same Desire. Brought together by the gods, let us never be at odds. Sealed together, you and I. While one lives, the other shan't die.**_

 _ **The beginning of the spell, where she used the conjured candles was just asking the elements of water, fire, earth, wind, and will for help. I changed it from English to Chinese because why the hell not?**_


	14. Taking My Heart by Storm

_**I'm going to level with you all, this fic will get jacked up to M… eventually. For now, it will remain T, and the next few chapters will be… kind of filler, though kind of not. As much of the romantic growth happens within the cases, I can only do so much without them, but right now, they need to calm down after the case… and Mai is starting to work on her own thing that was mentioned a few chapters back… with the adorable little Kit, Yasu.**_

 _ **Anyway, on with the reviews:**_

 _master kiwi sama:_ _ **thank you also, sorry I can't put your name in right. Fanfiction won't let me.**_

 _Raven Avonia:_ _ **the way I've always seen life, is that every person's personality changes. Your experiences with people or situations in general change you, and that's what I wanted to do for Mai's personality. She's a strong character. Also, I really get annoyed when they have generic abilities, so many of them I looked up on the internet to give me ideas. It's nice to know that someone appreciates it.**_

 _Lizzieeliza1998:_ _ **Tell me what you don't understand, so I can explain it… if I can.**_

 _Fabian1ninja1:_ _ **Thank you**_

 _Glass Dragon's Rose:_ _ **Ha. He'll**_ **never** _ **admit it, though.**_

 _Animeloverdj:_ _ **duly noted.**_

 _Vampgirl1309:_ _ **I typed as fast as I could.**_

 _RichkeyZero:_ _ **first, love the profile pick. That's one of my favorite manga. Second, you're welcome.**_

 _Joys:_ _ **oh…there's plenty…**_

 _MirandaLovespie:_ _ **… I didn't mean to. It just…. Happened. It still confuses me, to tell you the truth. I agree with you. And trust me, Mai isn't over powered. The key to having as many powers as Mai is balance, and she does have some rather debilitating weaknesses. Which… kind of makes the situation a bit worse…. And as for if Cassandra becomes a problem… well, we'll see.**_

 _ShadowSheki:_ _ **can do!**_

 _KazeNiNaruu:_ _ **thanks!**_

 _MirandaLovespie:_ _ **I haven't left, just had a nasty case of writer's block. Sorry for the long wait. Really. I'm so sorry**_

 _Fanficluver4life:_ _ **thanks.**_

 _ **Also, I'm actually going to focus on one of the other characters for a change… well, more, one of my ships in this- Kuroda is actually gonna get some action in this…**_

 _ **And if you lot didn't see this coming… well, I did drop a few hints… actually, like five… or more.**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE SONG OR GHOST HUNT**_

* * *

Chapter 13- Taking My Heart by Storm

 _I am torn apart by you, it's a spell I can't undo_

 _Oh, I can't escape it now_

 _I'm in too deep to get out_

 _You're taking my heart by storm_

 _I'm lost in your love, lost in your love_

 _I can't hold back anymore_

 _I'm lost in your love, Lost in your love_

 _ **Ruelle, Storm**_

 _Winter Hall, three days later_

Mai winced as she endured _all_ of her… rather loud lectures. Even Yasu seemed angry at her, though how the little fox kit seemed to know that she'd done something stupid, and dangerous (as everyone had yelled at her, especially after seeing the video), she didn't know. She sighed, as she shook her head.

She was walking through the forest behind her house at the moment, clearing out all the traps and shit that the poachers put out. She'd have to do something about that, soon. As she was getting tired rather quickly at this point- having your heart nearly ripped out by a pissed off ghost tended to have that affect- she couldn't do anything as of late.

A soft hoot caught her attention, and she watched, as a gorgeous, white barn owl swooped. Mai thanked god for her oddly good night vision, now, as the bird was truly lovely. Though… something seemed different. Not wrong… but… odd about the way it hunted.

She frowned, cautiously approaching the raptor. It looked at her. She froze, until she realized something. _Look_ was the wrong word.

The owl… was _blind_. It shouldn't even be able to hunt, Mai, thought, amazement coursing through her veins. How the hell was it doing that? She pushed her confusion in the owl's direction. Careful not to spook the poor thing, but not able to control her own natural curiosity.

The bird did not seem to mind, though it did not answer. Honestly, the animal looked rather healthy, aside from the fact that it could not see. She reached out to touch it with her uninjured hand (the fire that she'd thrown at Cassandra had, in fact, harmed her, as she had _not_ been in control). The feathers were surprisingly soft. She smiled. "You're so pretty," she cooed softly.

The bird hopped onto her other arm, letting her pet it. she let out a soft sound of joy- she couldn't help herself.

"Mai!" another voice- Anabelle- called. "Where'd you go?"

She turned, surprised a bit that the owl on her arm did not spook. "Over here." She called back. Her cousin came into view, looking relived.

"You shouldn't come out so far… you're not at your usual strength." She said, a small frown on her face, grey eyes narrowed and dark. Mai gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm fine. I'm not that far out." She replied. "I know my limits, Anabelle."

"Really? Because the last time I checked, you used _way_ too much of your own psychic and _magical_ energy to cast not one, but two spells that were _far_ too advanced. You lost control, burned your own hand, caused a monster lightning storm, and nearly got your heart torn out by a crazy-ass she-demon."

"Cassandra isn't a demon- or she wasn't completely turned into a demon. Not yet. She still isn't. she's just on the verge of it… and really, Anabelle, I know what I did was stupid."

"I'm surprised you didn't get another aneurism…" her cousin growled. Mai chuckled. "Yes, well…"

"Don't even." Anabelle growled. "You did something stupid."

"Yes, I did. I believe I more than made up for it, Ana." The now disgruntled psychic grumbled. "you'd think that a million times of me saying 'sorry' would be enough for the lot of you… but _no_." her own eyes narrowed. "Excuse me if I did what I felt I had to do to save John! For the record, none of you would have done any different than what I did- and don't you _dare_ say you wouldn't have." She snapped as her cousin opened her mouth in rebuttal.

As was expected, the other young woman was silenced. Mai was right. Any of them would have done the same to save one of their own. Mai threw her hands up. "Oh, for the love of all that's holy, I'm _fine_. I didn't _die_. I barely even got _hurt_. You can go tell his _majesty_ , who I _know_ is here to screw off."

"Are you talking about Takeshi… or Dr. Davis?" her cousin asked, tartly, letting her cousin's now fowl mood go. Mai let out a hiss.

"Do not _mention_ that name! HE's the biggest hypocrite of the lot! _I_ was stupid and reckless? What about _him?"_ she snarled. "Last time I checked, _I_ haven't put my _life_ at risk just because someone on my team pissed me off. _I_ didn't take on a _god_ , and _I_ didn't use my powers _knowing_ that I could die if I did!"

If she was completely honest with herself, his complete 180 shift had confused the hell out of her. She didn't remember what had happened in the hospital, though her cousin had told her that he'd gone in to see her; her experiences in the past with the younger Davis twin was that of chillingly biting remarks on her intelligence. When she'd gotten out, he'd ripped into her first. Not even Lin had been able to get a word in edgewise as the young Parapsychologist yelled at her- for half an hour.

Yelled. Not lectured. He hadn't just left it at a scathing remark about her intelligence. Oh, no, he'd let it rip, complete with a _fantastic_ show- what with tables and other furniture ricocheting around, crashing into each other, and windows breaking (the floor and walls as well bore fissures). He'd been well and truly pissed, which was something that Mia had, up till that moment, never seen. It had been terrifying, as his displays of temper usually ran cold as ice. This had been…. Well, completely the opposite of what Mai and the rest of SPR had ever seen.

It had been explosive, to say the least, and not just metaphorically. Mai winced at the memory. However, she did not think about that. Currently, she was still pissed that they all seemed to think that she needed supervision to _walk_ around her own house.

Anabelle, who had started to guess (with amazing accuracy) what was going on in her cousin's mind, hid a smirk. Oh, she was confused and angry, all right, and they had been making it worse. She shook her head. "Dr. Davis isn't here," she said to her cousin. In fact, the researcher had left a few minutes prior.

"Whatever," Mai grumbled. "I don't care." She stroked the owl on her arm with a finger, and the gorgeous thing cooed. Mai's face changed, from anger to a sweet smile. "I think… I found another one like Yasu…" she murmured.

Completely used to the abrupt shift in topics, Anabelle didn't have to guess what Mai was talking about now. The girl's temper blew rather quickly, always had, if what the former members of SPR had told her was true.

"Another animal with psychic ability?"

"Yeah. She's blind, but can hunt perfectly."

"She can _hear_ her prey, too…" Anabelle felt compelled to point out. Mai grinned. "Yeah, but not from that far away. She's a raptor. She can't see, she can't really hunt. Not unless she's got something else to compensate."

"So… what are you getting from her?"

"I'm not sure, yet." Mai looked spectical. "I can't quite get a grasp, but… well, I'll make her a little home in the barn. She can stay there, for now. It's warm and dry. I'll be able to study her from there." She was starting to plan.

"And her name? you already named Yasu…"

"Ah… we'll figure it out…. I don't quite know…" She stared hard at the bird, her eyes went a bit wide. She smiled. "Masa." She said. "her name is Masa."

"Why that name?"

"Masa means 'elegant'. It… it fits." She murmured. Anabelle looked at the bird and frowned. She supposed that her cousin was right. She shrugged. "Well, okay. I'm heading back now." She said, turning toward the mansion. "I'll tell everyone you're okay."

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Davis Estate, outskirts of London_

"You know, she has _no_ idea what happened in the Hospital room." Eugene drawled from his chair, angling a look over to his brother over his book. Oliver studiously ignored his brother. "And now, she's pissed off at you… _again_. Because you let her have it."

"She deserved every single word." Oliver growled. Eugene smirked. "Oh?" he asked. "Because from what Lin said, you did the same thing."

"And it nearly got me _killed_." Oliver snapped. " _She_ should know better."

"Noll, you do realize that this is _Mai_ we're talking about? Mai Taniyama, the girl who rushes headlong into dangerous situations in the head of the moment? The girl who pissed you off enough to _do_ the stupid thing with the god in the _first_ place, because she was pissed off at _you_ not doing anything?"

Oliver could say nothing to this. His brother had a point. Mai had _never_ been able to stop herself from doing reckless, stupid things on a good day. Throw in a friend that was in danger because of a homicidal ghost…. Well, those were circumstances that Mai had _no_ problem putting her own skin in danger, even if it meant her own Life.

Which, oddly, had been his _point._ She _needed_ to stop doing that.

Eugene watched his brother, chuckling at the fact that his brother was twitching with annoyance. He knew full well what was going through his twin's mind (made easier, because Noll's normal mental blocks weren't present for whatever reason). He clearly saw the images in his brother's mind, concerning Mai, and her penance for trouble- most of which ended up with her getting gravely injured in some sort of freak accident- or haunting.

He shuddered. "I don't think it's ever going to get _that_ bad…" he said. At least, he amended to himself, he hoped not.

Oliver glared at Eugene. "Then you don't know her as well as you think you do, Gene." He snapped. "What part of 'trouble magnet' don't you get? She's got this radar…. And anything within fifty kilometers that is dangerous seems to hone in on it."

"It's not _that_ bad…"

"Don't kid yourself, brother, dear," Oliver hissed. "We _both_ know it's true."

Eugene winced, and shook his head.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _London_

Kuroda sighed as she strolled the streets of London. So many things she'd always wanted to see, she mused, and she finally had the chance to actually do it. She could go to Big Ben and the London Eye… she could just… roam the streets. But, the problem was, that as a little girl (or teenager), she'd always seen herself… with someone.

His face had changed throughout the years, going from some sort of prince charming she'd seen in the movies, to random boys she'd found attractive, but still, the fantasy of having a romance while roaming the streets of London (or anywhere, really) had just... always been there.

Some girls wanted a romantic walk on the beach. Kuroda just wanted someone to share a walk through a crowded street with.

She smirked as she wandered into a store. Before they'd left for England, the girls had had a… sleepover of sorts (they already lived together, but they'd taken over one of the drawing rooms, Sakurako had even been present there, and Takeshi had steered well clear of that half of the mansion). One of the truth or dare questions turned into a discussion on what the perfect date was.

Emiko said a normal movie date was best, while Izumi maintained that the beach thing was her favorite dream. Sakurako told them about her first date, which was on the beach as well. Tohru said that she didn't much care to go out, and that she'd like someone to just come over and hang with her. Psyche really liked the idea of staying in and cuddling on the couch with a movie, while Anabelle just shrugged. She didn't say anything, and had just frowned.

Now that Kuroda had met Adrien, she could only shake her head. She paused as she looked at a pretty blue vase, and then recoiled with a wince at the price of the thing. Dear god, why was everything so friggin' expensive?

She grinned as she remembered Mai's thoughts on the question. A case. Yes, the most romantic date to the brunette had been hunting a bloodthirsty ghost. Kuroda snickered at the thought, and then wondered why the _hell_ she wasn't dating Oliver 'obsessed-with-my-job-which-happens-to-be-ghost-hunting' Davis.

"Possibly because they haven't gotten on the right wavelength, yet." A voice said behind her. She screamed and jumped, whirling around to face…

Takeshi-san. She felt her face color up. "Kami-sama, Takeshi-san…" she whispered. "could you warn me, next time?"

The tall man just smiled at the young lady. "I was actually sent to find you, Kuroda-san." She sighed as she felt her heart drop a bit. 'San', he'd called her. Kuroda- _san_. She didn't like it. Couldn't he just call her Kuroda?

She shook her head, and sighed. "why?" she asked. Takeshi smiled. "We have to get back to the mansion." He replied. "Something about dinner, according to my aunt."

Food didn't sound good right now. It wasn't that she wasn't hungry… she just had problems eating (or talking, or breathing) around the man who was their version of Lin-san.

Because the fact was, ever since she'd met him- that cold night in October two years ago when he'd come to escort Mai to her grandmother's hospital room, Kuroda had been in love with him. Of course, she knew it was hopeless. He was four or five years older than her. He wouldn't _ever_ look twice at her. Large, dark eyes dropped away from his back, and she sighed in defeat.

She didn't know that he'd heard her.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she did not see a quick glance in her direction, nor did she realize that he had stopped, and turned around. Not until she ran into him… she felt her face heat up as she registered this. Her head shot up, her stormy grey eyes wide, as she felt her temperature heat as his hands wrapped around her upper arms. She wondered vaguely if Emiko was around somewhere.

She liked to prank Kuroda quite a bit by messing with her temperature. But she knew, even through her dim thoughts that this was _him_. It was all him, and she did not have any way of combating this because he felt so warm, and she didn't want to move, and dear god, she could feel his muscles through his shirt, and had to stop herself from actually trying to kneed his abs because that was _so_ not right….. and….

"Kuroda, is there something wrong?" he asked.

'Yes', she wanted to say, 'You're driving me _insane_.' Instead she cleared her throat, though her voice came out rather squeaky, and she stuttered. "N-no, Takeshi-San. W-why would there be anything wrong?" for the love of any god out there, please, let me go…

"Because you've been acting this way for a while." He said it bluntly. "I have to ask. What is wrong?"

She didn't know what to say, if he didn't see it… well, of course he didn't. She tried not to let it affect her all the time. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Takeshi-San. I've just been worried about Mai…" she lied through her teeth, of course, though her excuse was legitimate. She _was_ worried about the other young woman.

Takeshi sighed, but let her go. He wouldn't get to the bottom of this – whatever _this_ was- easily, and he knew that. Through her half-truths, omissions, and outright lies, he had figured out that something was bothering her. Something had been bothering the girl for a long, _long_ time, though this only seemed to manifest in _his_ presence.

The man- indeed, four years older than Kuroda-san's twenty years- was at a loss. He did not know what was going on with the girl, and he doubted that he wanted to know.

He had a feeling that told him that finding out would change the course of their friendship for good. So, for now, he let it slide. It was truly something that he shouldn't bother with.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall, England_

When Kuroda walked through the mansion door, Sakurako sighed. Her nephew looked bewildered- though she had expected that, what with the fact he wasn't even aware of the young woman's feelings for him.

If truth were told, she had a feeling that Takeshi wouldn't really take it well, in the first place, though the older woman snorted at the thought. For Kami's sake, it wasn't as if Kuroda was still in high school. Takeshi wasn't exactly all that older.

Four years. That was about the same difference in age as his parents. She rolled her eyes. Her brother had had the same reservations as Takeshi was sure to have, though, and that was one of the biggest hurdles that they had.

But she also knew that her nephew was slowly falling for the young woman as well, though he didn't seem to realize it. She also knew better than pointing this out to him, knowing that any progress he'd have made would come to a screeching halt.

She chuckled. How long, she wondered, would it take? Kuroda's room was situated right next to his, after all- that wasn't an accident on Sakurako's part. She'd just have to wait and see where it went.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Cambridge University Dorms_

Yasuhara lay on his bed, taking advantage of the rare lazy day that they'd been presented with. He smirked to himself as he thought of the events that had followed the case, from Oliver 'I-don't- _do_ -temper' Davis had indeed lost his at their small, brunette co-worker.

Nearly reducing the girl to tears, he had noted at the time, though Mai hadn't given into that particular reaction, deciding to fire back some well-aimed barbs of her own. At least she'd only gone after a ghost, not a pissed off Kami….

He snorted as he remembered _that_ small trip. Of course, Naru had had to prove that he was stronger than a _god_ , because _why not_? But when Mai does the same thing, oh, suddenly, it's bad, and you shouldn't do that.

And the crazy witch wasn't even a god. She was just a crazy ghost, bent on killing every male in the world. And now, the small woman had the ghost as a shiki. He shook his head, and then turned his thoughts to one of the other new additions to the gang.

He didn't quite what to make of Tohru. She seemed to be a quiet girl… and yet, Yasuhara knew that the young woman-along with the twins and Kuroda had been in the same gang as Mai…. He was surrounded by yankies, he realized with a wince. All of whom, if he was correct (and he usually was) could kick ass quite easily.

He'd always known that Mai had it in her… just not enough to actually join a gang.

"What's got you so broody? I thought that was Davis' job… or my brother's." Finn joked. Yasuhara frowned as he looked up at the other young man. "I'm not brooding." He said. "I don't brood. I… think." He grinned. "I was thinking about the last nasty little case."

"Oh, with the raging she-devil?" the Irishman smiled wryly. "Aye, that's a bit of a weird one, I'll admit. However, I do believe the lass handled it on her own." He smirked, and Yasuhara snorted. "Yeah. I know, I watched the whole thing, same as you."

"I've never seen Davis look so pissed off. That was quite a show. One that I hope never to see again."

"Yeah, you and the rest of us. I didn't even know he had a volcano mode…"

The two sat in silence for a while after that, before Finn spoke again. "So, what do you think of the other girl?" he asked. "Tohru?"

Yasuhara shrugged before telling the other man his speculations. "We haven't seen what she can do yet, psychically, anyway. I only know what I've heard about her, but she's pretty tough." He shrugged. "I won't know much until I can see her abilities, first hand."

"I thought as much…. She doesn't seem to want to use them, though, and that might be a problem…" Finn pointed out. "She probably thinks there'd be more of a problem if she _did_ use her power." Yasuhara pointed out. "Either way, she doesn't really want to find out if she can control it."

"She doesn't seem to think that it's a possibility." Finn returned. "And the others?"

"Well, from what I've heard and _seen_ ," the analyst said, "Miss Emiko can control the body's temperature of herself and those around her, while Miss Izumi can control the temperature around her in general. Pretty odd, but they are linked to one another. It's fascinating, really."

"Now, you're talking like they're science experiments." Finn drawled. "I don't think either of them will appreciate the sentiment."

Yasuhara just snorted. "I'm just saying what I'm thinking. Not my fault." Finn snickered, and shook his head, before sighing.

"Do you think that we'll get another case like that, soon?"

"Let's hope it's not until Naru's done being grounded." Yasuhara paused for a second before he burst out in laughter. Finn blinked for a few seconds as the sentence registered in his mind, before he too, burst out laughing.

Leave it to Davis to get _grounded_ at the age of 21.

Priceless.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so, that's that. I'm sorry it's a bit short, and that you had to wait so long. I just wanted to focus on the other characters for a bit. Ones that I've kind of put on the back burner. Emiko and Izumi are gonna have to make it in soon, they're kind of silent here, but that shouldn't be for much longer. Anyway, thank you all for sticking with this for so long. I'm sorry for the wait.**_

 _ **Please, for the love of all that's holy, review. I love them.**_

 _ **Angel of Pandemonium**_


	15. Fall Right Back to You

Well done, cousin, you managed to get yourself hurt.

 _ **So… you know how in the more… Shonen anime, whenever someone does something wrong, they bow really deep? Yeah. I'm bowing to all of you. I. AM. SO. SORRY for making you wait for three months. I'll try to do better, I promise. Anyway, still filler chapter. Sorry. Working on the next case right now.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own the song. I don't own the Ghost Hunt Characters. I only own my OC's and the Plot.**_

 _ **Now, on to my Review answering….**_

 _Vampgirl1309-_ _ **… well, I hope I don't disappoint with this one.**_

 _Joys-_ _ **Not the last animal she picks up… and again, I hope I don't disappoint.**_

 _MirandaLovespie_ _ **\- Yes, he is a bit of a hypocrite…. Then again, aren't we all when it comes to people we care for? As for blind… we'll see.**_

 _DALucifer13-_ _ **no. she is not taking on the traits of the animals. In a way, she's always had really good instincts, I believe that Oliver (at one point) compared her to a rabbit. She's just… evolving in a way. Think of her connection to them like Oliver's Psychometry. It's a part of her, but doesn't necessarily affect who she is.**_

 _Jgood27-_ _ **thanks. Have some more.**_

 _Sheshysgodestris-_ _ **It really is. Momma Davis is a force to be reckoned with.**_

 _LadyHawke361-_ _ **I do the same thing. TO be honest this is the highest compliment that I could have gotten.**_

 _Chapter 14- Fall Right Back to You_

 _Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends_

 _It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense_

 _Don't speak as I try to leave, cause we both know what we'll choose_

 _If you pull then I'll push too deep and I'll fall right back to you_

 _ **~Clarity- Zedd ft. Foxes**_

 _Winter Hall_

She'd gotten angrier as the days wore on, and she wasn't sure really why. Those around her were getting antsy around her, as well, Annabelle in particular was on edge, though when Mai asked her why, she'd just said that it was because they were witches, and cousins. Between the two of them, Winter Hall was experiencing weather odd enough to make the news.

It was no different at Cambridge, and had been Masako who had pointed this out, with her kimono sleeve covering her mouth, as she stood closer than usual to the Australian exorcist. Both young woman had ignored the medium, pretending not to know _what_ she could possibly be talking about, because that would be ridiculous, Masako, I'm not angry at N- Dr. Davis. That would be foolish… it was so long ago that it really shouldn't matter anymore, anyway.

Their moods seemed to be affecting Kuroda, though, as well as Psyche. The two were getting antsy for no apparent reason, and even Mai's animals were starting to get a bit… weird. Yasu seemed to pick up on his human friend's emotional state, and was acting accordingly, not leaving her side for anything, and Masa's hunting got all messed up when any of the four were near her, to the point that Jacob kicked them out of the barn for upsetting the animals.

Emiko, Izumi and Tohru finally called bullshit on their moods when a _lightning storm_ seemed to _materialize_ right inside the lab at Cambridge university, nearly striking both Oliver _and_ Adrien. As did Lin and Takeshi, who dragged both Mai and Annabelle out of the room to find out exactly _why_ the two of them were flying off the handle.

Neither of the young witches would admit to any problem, though Mai's eyes had gone full on gold, and Annabelle had glared daggers in the direction of her _former_ childhood friend.

As for the young doctor, he was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, in fact, he could usually be seen looking at Mai as if she was the most interesting science experiment in the world. Every time he was nearly struck by the lightning, he just looked at the floor with interest, like he wanted to take samples.

In fact, Kuroda reflected, there were a few times when she caught him smirking at his small brunette lab partner. Mocking at first glance, but Kuroda also noticed that the man looked more like the cat that swallowed the canary… with a mouse caught in its claws. A side glance told her that she wasn't the only one to noticed this.

 _Mai_

He was doing… _something_ …. And she didn't know what game he was _playing_ , but she was starting to get really done, really quickly. IT wasn't anything physical… no. The static electricity between them seemed to be getting worse, and she wondered if it was punishment for something. Every time it happened, she couldn't help but… feel.

It was like he'd declared war on her, and she didn't have the necessary weapons to fight back. Somehow, he'd figured out that he _still_ had an effect on her- to which she could only wonder if it had anything to do with the conversation he'd had with Annabelle while they'd been on the last case. She'd asked her cousin about that, and she'd muttered something about the weather thing.

She looked down at Yasu, who lay on her bed, copper eyes on her, and she could feel the question in his mind. She sighed, and shook her head at the small fox. "I don't know, Yasu." She muttered in answer. He lowered his head and let out a sigh. She giggled, getting up from her bed.

"I've got to get out of the house for a bit." She muttered to herself. "This… isn't working." She could feel the energy singing through her veins. She her skin felt… prickly, almost, far too sensitive, she felt like crawling out of her own skin.

"Wish I could be like you," she muttered in Yasu's direction. "Animals don't have to worry about this shit. I can't even go…" she froze, before she finished, this time, her voice got slower… "I can't… even… go looking for a… fight."

She felt herself shudder. The violence that she thought had been locked away when she'd moved to England was back with a vengeance, her Yankee spirit rising. She ran to the door, and flung it open. To her surprise, Izumi and Emiko were there, flanked by Tohru and Kuroda, all wearing the same looks.

"We can't exactly go to London… we could get in serious trouble, and get deported or something." Emiko reminded the brunette, and Mai nodded. "But… how long has it been since we actually sparred, Emi?" she asked. A slow smirk spread across the other young woman's face as she realized what Mai had pointed out.

"A true, knock-down, drag-out fight… one where we just let go?" She asked breathlessly. It was Izumi who shook her head now. "Mai, the last time you took someone on without holding back, they ended up in the hospital. You get nasty… and also, didn't you _just_ get into a fight with a ghost… not two months ago?" she reminded the girl. Mai groaned.

"Also," Tohru drawled, "We aren't the ones you wanna fight. It wouldn't do you any good to fight one of us, and you know it. Maybe Annabelle, but… I don't think Kuroda could handle what you've got in mind." Kuroda shook her head. "I… can't right now." She muttered. Mai groaned, and looked down the hallway, directly at her cousin, who was coming down the hallway as well, an unreadable look on her face.

"Annabelle…." She shook her head. "I called Professor Davis… he said that we needed to get to Cambridge. Or, rather, Lin said to come to Cambridge." She sighed. "I'm going, too. This is getting ridiculous." She grumbled as she rubbed her arms.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Davis Estate_

When Lin walked into the room, both Eugene and Oliver looked at him. He just shook his head. "Noll, I need you to come with me. Adrien will meet us there… as well as Anabelle and Mai." Oliver blinked, confusion (a truly novel feeling) coursed through him. "What's going on, Lin?" he asked- or, demanded, really.

Eugene hid a smirk, and rolled his eyes. Connected as he was to Oliver, he could feel not only the confusion, but the alarm. "Did something happen to them?" Lin shook his head at the arrogant young scientist, and sighed. "No. Nothing's wrong- per say- but there is something that I want to test, so just come with me." The omniyoji returned. He turned toward the door before he stopped again. "Oh, and wear what you would to a martial arts class."

Oliver, who was in no position to refuse shrugged. If Lin had asked him to, he would… but he didn't have to like it. He went upstairs and changed into black basketball shorts and a black t-shirt (both items of clothing, as well as everything like them were buried in the bottom of his drawers, as he didn't really wear them all that much- unless he was practicing with Lin).

 _Cambridge University_

The drive to the University had been quiet. Lin didn't tell Oliver what was going on, and Oliver didn't care to ask, and Eugene was just smirking like an evil mastermind, which Oliver tried his best to ignore. That wasn't an easy feat on the best days, but right now, with Oliver's annoyance at a high that he hadn't felt since his days in Japan, he was finding it even more difficult than usual.

When they arrived, Oliver was surprised to see not only Adrien there as well, but Yasuhara and Finn as well, all wearing various versions of what Oliver himself wore. "Hell, big boss, I didn't know that you _owned_ clothing like that. Color me surprised." Yasuhara smirked. Oliver looked at the other young man impassively before he sighed.

"Contrary to apparent belief, I _do_ stay in shape." He said, voice cool. "Wearing a suit to exercise is uncomfortable as well as stupid." Yasuhara snorted, before looking at Lin. "I know you only asked for Adrien, but Finn and I had to force him to come in the first place, so we decided to come too.

Gene snorted as he looked around. "We had no problems getting Oliver to come here. He's terrified of being grounded _again_ by our mother." His grin broadened. "He got in the car rather quickly, when mum gave him that look." Yasuhara roared with laughter. " _That_ is something I'd _pay_ to see." He snickered. "The great Oliver Davis brought to his knees by his mother's wrath."

"A mother's wrath is _nothing_ to laugh at, Osamu," Finn drawled, false graveness in his tone as he shook his head. Oliver glared at the three of them. "If you three are _quite_ finished…" he growled.

He didn't finish his sentence, as the second car pulled up behind Lin's, and Takeshi got out, looking both annoyed and haggard. "Lin." He muttered. "You don't know how lucky you _are_." Lin's visible eyebrow shot up, as the other omniyoji glared at the car.

"How did you get her here?" Lin asked. Takeshi just shook his head. "I picked her up, and put her in the car. She did _not_ want to come."

"That bad?" Eugene asked, cocking his own head to the side. "Bloody hell, she _really_ put up a fight, didn't she?" he examined the man from a distance. "She used her PK?" he frowned. "That doesn't sound like Mai at all."

"She doesn't know why I called her here." Lin said dryly, "Otherwise, she might very well have _jumped_ in the car."

"Probably not. I know why you asked us to come, and I _still_ didn't want to come, Lin." Anabelle said, as she dragged her cousin (who looked even more reluctant that Oliver had been) with her. She did not look at Adrien, choosing instead to smile at Finn. "Hey, Finn." He nodded in return. "Anabee." He grinned at her.

Yasuhara laughed as he observed his friend being dragged along by her cousin. "Hi, Mai." He snickered. She glared at him, her golden eyes annoyed. She looked like a kitten that had been gravely offended, as she swept back her long braid of hair. Eugene smothered his own laughter behind his hand as he observed his brother's reaction to the newest arrivals.

Equal parts anger and surprise. Mai, like her cousin, did not look at the younger twin, and instead, addressed Lin. "What did you call us here for?" she asked. Eugene smirked as Oliver's eyes narrowed a fraction- just as Adrien's had done when Mai's cousin had completely ignored _him_.

"Inside. Training room across from the white room." A man of few words, as per usual, Yasuhara thought to himself. The group made their way to the room in silence. This was completely different than both car rides had been. It was charged, like a storm cloud right before lightning shot down to the earth.

IT was only when they were in the training room that Lin turned to the others. "Finn, Yasuhara, Gene… you three will watch." He said it calmly, before turning to the four he had not called. "You four… are a different story. Adrien, Anabelle, on the mats now."

The two complied, though Anabelle took her shoes off before walking on the mat. She'd been wearing flats, as she knew what they'd be doing. She, like Mai, wore loose fitting, black basketball shorts and a tank top, though hers was dark green, while Mai, like Oliver wore all black. At her cousin's psychic questioning- which was just Mai pushing her confusion onto her cousin via empathic link, Anabelle shrugged, before turning to Lin.

"Any particular form you want, or is it a free for all?" she asked. Lin smirked. "free for all, though, you will honor the rules of engagement in a spar. This is no different from competition." He looked at Oliver. "Same rules apply for you and Mai, Noll."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "Wait, we're sparring?" Takeshi winced as he noticed the look on his charge's face. The odd look of triumph and vicious glee. Lin looked over at her and nodded. "Rules of engagement, Mai." He warned her. She frowned. "I thought you said anything goes?" she replied.

"Mai, I will not argue with you. Anything goes… unless it's against the rules of engagement." Mai sighed, but nodded, and then turned to watch as Anabelle faced Adrien on the mat. "Uh, Lin, are you sure that's a good idea?" Yasuhara looked a bit worried, looking from Mai to Oliver and back again.

He'd been living in London for two years- most of it studying at Cambridge with the ghost hunters. He'd _seen_ Lin, Oliver and Eugene in action at least once, had been forced to fight himself once or twice… then, _last_ year, there had been that case in Ipswich ( _that_ had been fun. Worse, he thought, than the cursed house in Japan- one of the last cases before Oliver had found Eugene's body in the river).

That case had ended with Yasuhara and both sets of twins staying in the hospital, four _highly_ pissed off women (in the forms of Dr. Davis, Mrs. Connally, Mrs. Fitzgerald (he hadn't known, at the time, was Anabelle's mother), and Madoka), and a professor that was less than pleased with their conduct… never mind that the ghost of the mansion- _why_ was it always a mansion- had made the five of them act on their darker emotions.

The fight that had broken out was _spectacular_ to watch, but it had also made one thing clear to the researcher. Oliver was a demon when it came to fighting, both fast and vicious. Eugene was no better, and the Connolly twins were just as unpleasant. Yasuhara prided himself on being able to hold his own in dire situations, but even without the destructive PK outbursts from both Oliver and Adrien, he hadn't lasted two minutes against either of them.

He looked over at Mai, now, who watched impassively, as her cousin squared off against Adrien. "What do you mean, Yasuhara?" Lin asked. Yasuhara looked at the older hunter, and said rather bluntly, "Remember Ipswich?"

Lin gave him a wan smirk. "How could I forget?" he asked, before turning to the two. "Begin." He said. He looked at Yasuhara again. "Just watch." He ordered. Yasuhara adjusted his glasses, but did as Lin told him.

It surprised him to see that Anabelle was holding her own… until he realized that Adrien was holding back… although, that seemed to piss the young woman off, enough so that as she dodged a (rather slow-motioned kick), she snarled, and delivered a swift, brutal uppercut to his jaw. The words she spoke were not English. Nor were they Japanese.

In fact, until Finn winced from beside him, did he realize that what she spoke was a language at all. " _Ná coinnigh ormsa, mac mac*_." Her voice was low, and husky. "What did she just say?" Eugene asked the younger Connolly brother. Finn sighed and shook his head. "I can't repeat what she said in polite company." He muttered.

It was Oliver who looked at him, then. Just as curious as the others, all except for Mai, whose lips twitched into a small smirk at her cousin's language. _She_ answered for them. "Loosely translated, she said 'don't hold back on me, you son of a bitch.'" she snorted. It was Oliver who asked the question that Yasuhara had after that.

"How do you know what she said?" Mai inclined her head at him, her gold eyes (something that Yasuhara had yet to get used to) locked onto his blue ones. "She's been teaching me." The explanation was short and cold. Oliver cracked a smirk. "I'm surprised, Mai. Learning a nearly dead language? I would have thought it too difficult for you."

If he had meant it as a compliment, Yasuhara reflected, it had left much to be desired, as his tone was heavy with mockery. They watched as Mai's eyes narrowed a fraction, and an oddly cruel smirk twisted her lips. "Well, _Dr. Davis_ ," she drawled, "We all know how much you think of my intelligence… and yet, I'm here. In Cambridge. As an _honor_ student. Who skipped a grade in a _Japanese_ high school**."

Nothing more could be said after that, not that she would listen.

Anabelle was getting more and more pissed as the fight- no, _sparring match_ \- continued. It was obvious that Adrien was holding back, she didn't know how much, and that made her angrier, so, she got more violent. Instead of Tai- Chi, she switched to kickboxing.

"Why would I do that, Anabelle?" he asked her, blocking a particularly nasty kick. He grabbed her ankle, and twisted it, flipping her on her back. "You seem so easy to take down, I was just trying to make it more interesting." He leered down at her. She bared her teeth, and lashed out, using her leg to trip him.

It did not have the affect she'd been after. He'd fallen on _her_ , managing to completely flatten her. She let out a gasp as she felt his _full_ weight crush her. Instantly, he was up, his green eyes widened with concern. " _Shit_ , Ana, are you okay?"

Mai walked over on the mat, and examined her cousin, before looking up at Adrien, and Finn, who had rushed over as well. "She's just winded." Mai said. "Thankfully." She looked back at her cousin, smirking before she spoke… in a _completely_ different language. In this case, Russian. " _Khorosho sdelannyy, dvoyurodnyy brat, tebe udalos' navredit' sebe._ " Anabelle glared at her.

"Russian, now, Mai?" she gasped. "It's not like I did it on _purpose_. How was I supposed to know he'd fall on _me_?" She grumbled. "He weighs as much as a _truck_." She was still gasping for breath as her cousin examined her, and Anabelle could see the worry in her golden eyes. She gave a slight grin.

"The bigger question is, _how_ do you know _Russian,_ Mai?" Yasuhara asked. Mai snorted. "I asked Psyche to teach me. I know Chinese- Mandarin, English, and Japanese fluently, my Russian is pretty good but not there, yet, and I'm working on French right now." She replied. "Not the point here. Lin, she's not going to be able to fight until she gets her breath back. No broken or bruised ribs, thank god, but still, that's going to leave a mark." She made a face.

"A pretty _big_ one, too." Anabelle winced. "Like getting hit by a truck." She grumbled, allowing her cousin to pull her up. Adrien was watching, pale faced, and guilty. At this, Anabelle just glared at him. "Oh, shove it," she snapped. "You didn't do it on purpose. If you want to get technical, _I_ did it to myself, by tripping you."

His face cleared up, and he nodded. He didn't say a word, not trusting himself to do so. Mai looked at Lin. "I can Tag in, so to speak. Is that allowed?" she asked. Lin nodded. "Winner fights Oliver." Lin told them. Mai looked directly at her opponent. "I'm going to tell you the same thing she did." he blinked. "Don't hold back." He blinked, even as she bowed to him.

Lin called for the spar to begin. Anabelle sat against the wall, trying to regulate her breathing. The fight started out much like her own, however, as she watched, it was clear that this was different. Mai was holding back, wanting to see what the elder Connally brother was capable of, and Adrien was hodling back because she was a girl.

"He _really_ shouldn't be doing that…" she muttered as she watched her childhood…. _Something_ slow down his movements to the point that a _novice_ would be able to see them. Yasuhara and Finn both looked at her. As each young man had sat beside her- on her right and left sides respectively, they had both heard her. "Why?" Yasuhara asked.

Anabelle snorted. "Don't you remember what we saw on that footage from the last case? Don't you remember what Izumi, Emiko, Kuroda, Psyche, and Tohru told you after the phone call?" she let a laugh out. "She _knows_ how to fight… she knows the art well. She's been studying Tai-Chi, Taido, Aikido… and a few others… and street fighting. She's _really_ good at streetfighting."

Yasuhara blinked, looking confused. "Why would she know _streetfighting_?"

"Did you miss the part that she… oops, there he goes." She smirked as she watched her cousin flip Adrien on the ground, straddle his back with his arms twisted at his shoulder blades. "Gee, that looks _painful."_ She said cheerfully. "dear me, I hope she didn't do any _lasting_ damage."

"Yield." Mai said it coolly. Adrien snorted. "I don't have a choice." Lin nodded. "Mai wins this round." He conceded. Takeshi sighed, a slight grin on his face. "She was going easy on him." He muttered the same sentiment as Anabelle, who rolled her eyes at Finn, Gene and Yasu, all of whom looked like they'd been hit over the head with a wet fish.

The mental image was rather funny. She snickered quietly, as Adrien came and sat against the wall as well. He cast a side glance toward the young woman. "The fight would have lasted longer if I'd-" "Have taken it seriously? Yeah. Adrien, _our_ spar would have lasted longer had I not made that blunder that had you crashing onto me. However, I got you _down_." She smirked, resting her head against the wall. " _She's_ been helping me, with fighting, I mean."

"I can't see that." Yasuhara muttered. "Not sweet little Mai."

"You continue to forget what you were told during her last case with Cassandra." Anabelle reminded him. "She's not your 'sweet little Mai' anymore. She's an ex-gang member who can, and _has_ kicked the crap out of men twice your size and strength. She's been mixing and matching martial arts for four years… namely Aikido, Krav Maga, Taido, and Jujustsu, but she started adding Tai-Chi to the mix when Takeshi started teaching her." She chuckled at the dumfounded look on the young man.

"She had three names when she was in the gang…. She was called the Phantom in the south side of Shibuya. The north side called her the Wolf- or the biggest bitch this side of hell, depending on who you asked." She snickered again. "I've never seen her take a fight seriously… we tend to have a natural affinity for fighting, and she _really_ got into it."

" _Who_ taught her?" Yasuhara asked, eyes wide. "Mostly, Izumi and Emiko. Their sensei took her under his wing. He was terrifying guy. Came over after Mai moved into Momohara mansion, and taught all of us as we came." She sighed.

"And yet, you still made that blunder." Adrien nodded to her. She snorted. "Oh, shut up. Not my fault you're so heavy." She replied.

Oliver, who had been listening, frowned. Mai in a fight? She managed to trip over perfectly flat serfaces with alarming regularity. He looked over at her, and she cocked her head to the side, a small smirk on her face. "Oliver, it's your turn." Lin said it quietly, wondering what he'd been thinking when he'd called them all here.

The fight hadn't even started and he could feel the electricity between the two researchers. He stepped back as his former student took his place on the mat in front of the young woman. Oliver glanced at him, inclining his head, as if asking for permission.

Lin knew exactly what he was asking, and nodded. If what Mai's cousin said was true, then Mai would likely not hold back. Especially with all of the pent-up anger she felt toward the younger Davis twin. She was far too angry, and her eyes – still golden from the last mission, which worried the Omniyoji- were narrowed. She stood still, her body was loose, she'd obviously warmed up before coming, and she stood in front of Oliver with a look of calm that she could never quite master when they'd worked with her in Japan.

Takeshi was the one who stepped forward. "Mai." She looked at him. "Abide by tournament rules." She simply nodded. "Why are we doing this again?" Yasuhara muttered.

" _we_ aren't." Eugene reminded him. " _They_ are. We're just watching." Oliver slid into a stance, seamlessly- almost as if he'd been made for this… funny, when you thought of it, as Oliver was usually the more introverted and less active of the two of them. Growing up, he'd learned how to fight simply because if you lived in an orphanage like the twins had, you learned to fight… or bad things ended up happening to you.

Both twins had learned how to fight dirty. Eugene gave a humorless smirk at the memories. Oliver's PK usually kept away the worst of the bullies… and the two hadn't strayed far from each other's sides during their time in those places….

The worst of the cases had been when he and Oliver- only months into their three-year sentence in that horrible place- put the worst of the bullies in the hospital… because he'd tried (and failed) to get at Eugene. They'd become the toughest kids on the playground, and _no one_ had ever messed with them. They'd been three.

That had been Oliver's PK at its worst, and even the caretakes had given the younger twin a wide berth after that. He wondered what Mai had been like. True, he'd tried to keep an eye on her- had called John a few times to make sure she was okay- but she'd been especially good at blocking him- unconsciously, he thought, as she didn't seem to know he'd tried to astral project to her.

"Begin." Lin said.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

Mai could recognize Tai-Chi from a mile away, enough to know that Na- Dr. Davis was proficient in it- though she had to wonder, what else was new? She dodged his first strike, going on the defensive, even as she twisted her body into a flip, landing behind him.

He spun quickly, facing her with such speed that it surprised her, he ducked, sticking out his leg to trip her, she dodged that, and went for a windmill kick, only to have him grab her ankle, and yank it forward. She lost her balance, falling to the ground, but she rolled around before he was able to pin her down.

She did not speak, too busy trying to focus on his next strike. She figured that she'd switch it up a bit, she knew he was better versed in Tai-Chi than she was. He'd been practicing it for years longer. So, she switched to Taido. She twisted her body, going into _sen_ , and smirked at him, watching as his dark eyes glinted. Finally, she'd landed a hit.

It came at a price. He grabbed her wrist, yanked it up, and tripped her. This time, he didn't let go, when she lashed out with her other hand, he grabbed it as well, pinning her.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

She was so small, he thought, even as he held her to the ground. Her gold eyes blazed up at him, as she struggled. She hissed. It did nothing, he held her fast. "Yeild." He told her calmly, and took amusemet in the way her eyes narrowed. "Not a chance in hell." She growled, she jackknifed her legs, taking him by surprise as she rolled them over. She was on top now, and the victorious smirk spread across her lips. "What do you think I _did_ the four years I was on my own?" She snorted. "Or were you _not_ listening?"

HE glared at her, though the position that they were in struck him instantly. Closer than she would want, not that she noticed. He could hear her heartbeat from where he was, her face was flushed from exertion, her eyes bright and dangerous. He knew the affect that he had on her, however, and right now, he would use anything to win.

He would never admit it. Not even to himself- with the exception of this very second. She looked…. Nothing short of magnificent, and it was affecting him. His eyes narrowed, heated slightly glazed as he examined her, lingering on her lips. He smirked when he heard her breath catch. She noticed. The low chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it.

There was only one thing to do. "Having a problem, Mai?" he purred, she froze, eyes widening. He took the chance and rolled again. This time, he was met with little resistance, as she just looked up at him, helpless at the onslaught of emotion running through her.

She must not have realized that she was projecting, he reflected, as the air around them, already charged, was worse now. In their own little world, they didn't notice their audience- who weren't thinking much of what was happening between the two- all except Anabelle, who was looking out the window with a slightly chagrined frown, and Eugene, who was watching with rapt attention as his brother fought Mai… and trying to ignore the thoughts that were escaping down the link from his brother's mind to his.

God, he was failing at that though, Eugene's eyes widened as the pictures flew through his mind, and he was in a state of shock. This was _Oliver_ who was thinking these things.

He heard it before he realized what it was, the low crackle of thunder…. And when the realization struck him, his smirk only widened. " _Well, what's this, mai?"_ he asked, switching to Japanese. She didn't say anything, too busy trying to struggle out of his grasp now, realizing her mistake. He gave a low chuckle. She whimpered at the sound, and refused to look at him. " _Mai…"_ he purred, she looked up at him, helpless to do much else.

He unleashed the full power of his eyes. Glinting indigo met glazed Ochre. And he watched as they grew wide. She croaked the next words. " _I yield_." she was trembling, not even realizing that she too, had switched to Japanese. " _Get off me."_

He did so with ease, looking at Lin. "She yielded." He stated bluntly. All he wanted to do now was go home, and write his findings down in his notebook…

"Are we done here?" Mai asked darkly, glaring at her teachers. Lin and Takeshi both looked at each other, wondering what had just happened, because it seemed that Mai had just gotten worse. She shuddered, and studiously ignored the young man who'd just handed her her ass both figuratively and literally.

"Yes. I suppose." Takeshi spoke slowly. "Sakurako just texted me, anyway. Dinner's waiting." Anabelle got up from the ground with a sigh, and left- but not before she shot a dirty glance in the Oliver Davis's direction. The young man in question turned to his former teacher. "Can we go home now?" he asked, though he still wore a dark smirk. Eugene's own indigo eyes narrowed. "Oliver…" he growled.

"Later, Eugene." He said drolly. "If we must." Eugene glared openly now, his own annoyance at his brother skyrocketing. "Oh, we _must_ , Oliver. What the hell _was_ that?" who was he kidding? He knew what that was. It was his little brother and his hatred of losing. What Eugene was pissed at was not _that_ Oliver had won, but _how_ he'd done it.

"That was a dirty trick, and you know it. She's just going to dislike working with you more." He snapped as they got into the car. Oliver snorted. "Maybe she'll go back to Japan, then." He returned. "One can only hope…" At this, even Lin stopped and turned to him. "You don't mean that, Oliver." He said it calmly, knowing full well that he was right.

"Do I not? I wonder Lin, have you developed the ability to read my mind?" Lin's eyes narrowed a fraction. The younger Davis twin had not spoken that way to him in quite some time, he thought. Not since Lin had _met_ the twins, at Professor Davis's request that he train his sons. It was Eugene who answered for him, however.

"He can't, _Noll_ , but _I_ can." A smirk appeared on the older twin's face, as he scrutinized his brother. "Care to explain what was going through your heard for those last few minutes?" his grin widened as Oliver froze. What he had been thinking… what he must have pushed down the link into his brother's mind…. Eugene let out a soft chuckle. "Hm… interesting, isn't it, Lin. The look on his face right now?" The man looked into the rearview mirror at his charge, and blinked.

Oliver's face had gone pale. A little shock, a bit of horror, and a mess of other things were flashing over his face. Lin nearly stopped the car. It was the most emotion he'd seen the young man show in a long time- not since that last case before finding Eugene…

What had Oliver been thinking that made him look like that? Eugene just continued laughing. Lin, however frowned. "Oliver, you made whatever it was between the two of you worse. She's going to hate you if you keep it up. Is that what you want?"

Oliver glared out the window, his mood taking a turn for the worst. He didn't answer. However, the link was strong enough that Eugene got what he wasn't saying… And it made him wince. _It's for the best._ He looked at his brother with a frown.

Not many people knew this… but Oliver was _not_ a narcissist. A Narcissist was someone who _cared_ about what other people thought of them- _wanted_ everyone around to recognize their greatness, and became angry- sometimes _violently_ angry if they were not recognized. They did _not_ own up to their mistakes and flaws, blaming everything on everyone else…

That was a _true_ narcissist. What Oliver was… was a different pot of water altogether. He was confident in his abilities- cognitive and psychically. He did not have the slightest confidence in his abilities to socialize. He focused _too_ much on his failings, and suffered from PTSD (brought on by his psychometry and their past) He hid this under a perceived wall of arrogance and coldness.

He knew this. Lin knew this. Madoka and their parents knew this. Mai… she had been starting to realize it before he'd left back for England. Oliver was purposely pushing her away, now. Trying to keep her at a distance that would not last. Not as long as she was here. He was trying to push her all the way back to Japan…

Eugene sat back in the seat of the car, a sad, dark smile taking over his face. _Keep on fighting, Mai_. He thought, carefull to keep his thoughts to himself. _He'll bend eventually… just don't give up on him._ Because… even if _she_ didn't realize that she hadn't given up on him, Eugene _did_. He saw it with every look… every touch… every _argument_.

He could only hope that Mai would succeed in beating his brother…

 _ **So… the language that Anabelle was speaking was Irish- as I'm using Google translate, it's not exact. I'm not fluent in Gaelic. The translation for the Russian Mai was speaking is as followed:**_

 _ **Well done, cousin, you managed to get yourself hurt.**_

 _ **At least, that's a rough translation. Again, I'm using Google Translate… and we all know how well that works. Also, I don't know if you lot noticed th ** in the chapter. I'm American. Don't know how many of you are. Our school system is...**_ **way _more lenient than the Japanese school system. There's a reason the suicide rate is so high there... and_ school _is one of them. As_** _ **always, Read and review. I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next few days. Thanks for sticking with me, and again, I'm sorry for not updating sooner.**_


	16. One Single Touch

_***sobbing hysterically in the background***_ _I'm… SOOOOOO…. Sorry…._ _Five months….. ohgod, whyyy?_

 _An alternate song for this chapter could be Hot and Cold by Katie Perry… actually, no… That is actually Naru's theme song. It's his song. He's a jerk…. And he's honestly not an easy person to wright. He doesn't want to be attracted to Mai… so he just pisses her off and makes her feel horrible._

 _Also, enjoy the truly_ _ **staggering**_ _amount of sexual tension, because frankly, the only thing that makes me happier than making these hot-and-cold moments between Mai and Naru is making everyone else in the story all hot and bothered._

 _Because I Can._

 _So. On to the part where I answer all my reviewers up to this point._

 _ **Topdog19-**_ _…. Thank you. I've been saying that for a_ long _time._

 _ **Yachiru-chan92-**_ _thank you._

 _ **Guest**_ _\- Not the first time I've used Google translate for my works… it's fun. Thank you, on_ both _counts. I'm glad you enjoy it._

 _ **Wolfie**_ _\- he's had more training. He's also stronger than her. Unfortunately, that is the way of things._

 _ **MirandaLovespie-**_ _Yeah… well, just…. Read the chapter._

 _ **Vampgirl1309-**_ _Thanks._

 _ **Joys-**_ _here's what happens next._

 _ **Glass Dragon's Rose-**_ _….. eventually,They'll get to the ripping each other's clothes off._

* * *

Chapter 15- One Single Touch

 _I think it's time to let you know the way I feel when you take hold_

 _One single touch from you, I'm gone. Still get the rush when I'm alone_

 _I think it is time to let you know. Take over me, I will default._

 _You set me free, my body's yours. It feels the best when you're involved_

 _ **~Afrojack- Take Over Control**_

 _Winter Hall- Two Days Later_

She didn't know what possessed her to do it. The fact that she still _had_ the shirts in her bureau was lost on her… but… she put one of them on. It was black (as was his usual), and far too large for her, if she wore a belt around her waist, it would look like a dress. Worst (best) of all… it smelled like him…

What the hell was wrong with her? She snorted as she looked down at Yasu. "I'm… an idiot." She muttered to the small fox. Yasu merely cocked his head to the side and pushed curiosity into her mind. She snorted. "You're lucky you don't understand." She replied. "Now, let's go… never mind." She had been about to say: "Let's go visit Masa" but thought better of going down stairs (or out of her room in general) in her current state.

She really didn't want anyone to see her right now. It would be _really_ awkward for her… especially because of her behavior when she arrived back home two days before. She'd shot straight toward her room, unwilling (in _any_ way) to be around anyone and had immediately changed into a shirt that was obviously not hers. The storm had followed them home, and all she wanted was some alone time. She had not left her room in two days; not even to eat.

She couldn't understand why that was a bad thing. She was still moody when the knock sounded at the door. She looked up and jolted. She grabbed a bathrobe that was hanging off her desk chair and put it over the shirt she wore- no way in _hell_ was anyone in the house to get wind of this…

But, on the other hand, the shirt was really comfortable… she might just start wearing one to bed every night she wasn't on a case. She opened her bedroom door to see a rather guilty looking Anabelle. She blinked, confused at her cousin's remorseful face. "Ana? What's wrong?" she asked. She looked at her cousin with silver eyes had tears in them and said. "I'm sorry, Mai, I'm _so_ sorry." She whispered.

A brown eyebrow shot up as Mai examined her cousin. "Why are you so sorry?" Mai asked slowly, the confusion working up to utter bafflement. "Because _I'm_ the one who told him what the lightning meant." The other woman said tearfully.

It dawned on Mai then. He'd… he'd _known_ what the lightning meant… he'd _known the whole damn time… and_ _ **he'd used it the whole fucking time**_. Fury blazed in her golden eyes. That… utter… _**asshole**_! She let out a high-pitched shrieking sound as she spun around, to retreat into her room.

She was going to _kill_ him. The mix of swear words and death threats that came out of Mai's mouth at the mere thought of him knowing what affect he had on her…. But then, when _hadn't_ he? "Mai?" Anabelle asked hesitantly. "I'm…"

" _Don't_." she snarled. "Say you're sorry. Anabelle." she turned back to her cousin, glaring. "You may have told him… but _he_ was the one who used it against me." She glared, and then she closed her eyes, sighing. She shook her head, and peaked over at her cousin, face twisting into an expression of embarrassed chagrin. "Do Finn and Adrien know about it, too?" she asked her cousin.

Anabelle shook her head, cheeks stained red. "N-no. I… I couldn't tell them _that_ \- especially A-Adrien." She stuttered, shuddering with horror as she gripped the hem of her shirt. "The thought of hi- _them_ finding out is…"

"I know the feeling. Unfortunately, now N- _Dr. Davis_ knows, and he _will_ use it at every opportunity." Mai growled. "Likely, you didn't tell him straight out… and he just figured it out. Am I right?"

Anabelle nodded, surprised that the other young woman was able to figure that out. "Actually, I told him that I just knew when to make myself scarce as a kid." She told her. She made a face at the memories. "It's a bloody miracle that I don't have more siblings, really." Mai snorted. "I'm a bit surprised as well. With the way you talk about them…" Anabelle grinned at her.

"Well, at least you and Dr. Davis aren't… well, you know." Mai made a face. "I don't want to think about it." She said, though for a few seconds, she did… then she shoved it out of her mind. "You know what?" she asked, grinning as another thought came to mind. "We need a break."

Her cousin's eyebrow shot up. "The _last_ time you thought of something like that… was about six hours ago, and you ended up here, wearing _that_ \- and yes, Mai, I amvery much aware of what you're wearing under that dressing robe." She drawled.

Mai flushed but shook her head, even as she shucked the robe. She had a feeling that it didn't matter. However, that was not the issue. "No, listen. Tomorrow night, we go out. No fighting… dancing."

"Don't you think this is a little… self destructive? You're denying your feelings for Dr. Davis by going to dance in a club with other men- who you don't like touching you." Mai's dislike of physical contact with men (especially after what happened to the gala) was legendary. In fact, the only ones she didn't have a problem with were the ones they worked with (with the major exception of Oliver Davis). Mai shrugged it off. "I'll deal. Look this is a night off."

Anabelle blinked, raising an eyebrow, well, when she put it like that... "O… _kay_ … what were you thinking?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Mai smirked. "Get the girls together. We need a _break_. I'm calling Ayako, Masako, and Madoka. We're going _out_." She grinned.

 _XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX_

 _The Next Night_

"If you're really thinking about checking out the nightlife, we're going to need someone who knows London well enough to do that." Anabelle said, though she herself was grinning. The idea of just letting loose was _way_ too good to pass up… forget the awful day that they'd just had, and maybe dance with a complete stranger.

She was not the only one who thought that this was a good idea, evidentially, _everyone_ in the house (besides Takeshi-san… but _he_ didn't count in this) was off like a shot to get ready. Mai called Ayako and Masako- who both were excited to have a break from monotony, and Madoka, who was all too willing to come with, _and_ give them directions to her favorite place.

Twenty minutes later, the girls congregated in the room, even Tohru, who was usually _not_ one to go clubbing with them (even in their misspent youth), was going. They dressed in the same dresses they had used at the Gala a few months back- none of them had had _time_ to go shopping, what with classes, cases and moving into the mansion. Sakurako called out for all of them to have a good time before they left, with Takeshi behind the wheel (bemoaning his own misfortune at being the chaperone- or designated driver, in this case).

Even Kuroda- who was usually nervous as a mouse around him was unable to keep still in the car. A bright grin on her face told him that she was looking forward to this (he had to fight a scowl at the thought, though he really wasn't sure why, though he figured it had something to do with the return of the white dress she wore). However, he was more worried about Mai. The girl had been obviously affected by the whole sparring incident, and to just decide to go out was not… usual for her. She, along with Tohru and Kuroda were usually the ones that stayed home the most.

The directions from Madoka lead them to a warehouse just outside of the inner city, and he could already hear the music from inside, the bass was up so high that the ground shook, the crowd outside the door was loud and messy, and Takeshi silently wondered _how_ good of an idea this was…. until he saw Madoka- in much the same attire as his girls (wearing a sparkling navy-blue dress that reached her mid-thigh black high heels and her pinkish hair in loose curls) closely followed by Ayako- in the same shade of fire-engine red as Izumi… and just as striking- and Masako, who (for once) had ditched the Kimono, for a baby doll dress in Lavender.

While Mai had worn a more… elegant dress to the Gala, she'd still bought two- both had been black (Sakurako had insisted). This one was tighter, clinging to her curves, stopping at mid-thigh, and sparkly, with long sleeves and paired it with high heels as well. She yelled and ran over to them.

"I've never seen you in black, Mai. Somehow it suits you." Masako murmured, cocking her head to the side, her short, inky hair was expertly tousled, giving it a more informal look than she usually sported. Mai snorted. "Yeah… Sakurako made me buy it when we were shopping for the Gala dresses…" she made a face at the memory.

Madoka grinned at her. "Well, at least you have a reason to wear it." She said. "Let's go inside now. It's packed already." There was a chorus of agreements from the rest of the group as they did. Madoka turned to Takeshi. "I'll call when it's time to come pick them up." He nodded, but his eyes followed Kuroda's retreating figure.

Something about this whole thing put him on edge. Madoka smiled slyly, catching the look. "You could come with us and ask her to dance…" she drawled. He shook his head and looked at her. "What?" "Never mind…"

She left him there, wondering just what the hell had just happened.

 _Elsewhere_

Eugene looked over at his brother, bored out of his mind. "Oh, come _on_ , Noll…." He groaned. "Don't you do anything besides study and read?" Oliver looked up from the book he'd been reading and frowned. "If you're so bored, Gene, go outside and play with your friends." His voice was mockingly placating

Eugene let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and an insulted growl. "Oh, please, _Naru_ , you've sat at a desk for more than half your life. Shouldn't you have _some_ fun… you know, outside of a case? Yasu said he got a call from Madoka asking about clubs in London…. The girls are going out. Why don't we go, too?" Oliver gave her a look of utter disdain.

" _Clubbing_?" he sneered. " _That's_ your idea of _fun_?" Eugene winced. He'd all but forgotten about his brother's disdain of human contact. For the most part, it was because of his psychometry. Not to mention a _club_ …. God only knew what his brother would see when he walked through the door… unless he had something else distracting him…

Which, Eugene thought with a smirk, Mai certainly would. Not that he would voice that particular little idea to his brother, who would undoubtedly deny it to his dying breath… "If you don't come, I'm telling mom about the spar." He said, playing the last card he had to hang over his brother's head.

His brother's head shot up, and Oliver glared daggers at him. Poisoned ones…. He winced inwardly, but it was already done. "come on, you can take your book, but for once, don't make mum worried that you don't get out enough. I'll call Adrien and Finn, hell, Yasuhara and John can come…. Just… let's do something different tonight, Noll."

The book his brother had been holding snapped shut. "You threaten me and then you beg?" he grumbled, glaring at him. Though he knew that his brother would not tell their mother about what had happened with Mai and himself during the spar- some things, you just _didn't_ tell your mother- He was right. He knew that Luella was worried about him. Lin would come, too, though in his case, it would be more to be a designated driver for the others…

"Fine." He muttered, knowing full well he'd regret this in a few short minutes. Eugene grinned. "Change, Oliver. You can't wear office gear to a party."

"No. You deal, or I don't go." Was the instant reply. Eugene sighed, and shook his head, before yelling out the door. "I got him to come with us!" he called, the whoops from both Finn and Yasuhara could be heard from the other side of the door. Oliver glared again, though Eugene looked unrepentant. "Didn't mention that, did I?" he muttered. "Well, come on then, let's go."

No one told him where they were going, though Oliver had a good idea that his brother had arranged it so that they would end up at the same place that the other half of their team was…. and unfortunately, he was right. Madoka had met them in the parking lot, dressed in dark blue, and had grabbed Lin, leading to where she'd been sitting with Masako, Takeshi and Takegawa, who all had drinks in front of them.

The others were nowhere to be seen, but the look on Takegawa's face was one of annoyance, as his eyes were focused on something on the dancefloor. Oliver had no doubt that it was Ayako, as he slid into the seat beside his teacher. His brother and Finn went right out to the floor.

He shrugged as a waitress came around, asking what the newcomers wanted, and frowned as Oliver asked for tea. He was observing only, he told himself, not wanting to get involved, when a glitter of black caught his eye.

He looked around to get a better look at… Mai. He froze, his face didn't' reveal anything (not to those he didn't know, however, Madoka and Lin both looked at him in interest, while Yasuhara snorted into his drink).

She was… stunning. Again. How the hell did she _do_ that? He found himself wondering. The short, long-sleeved black dress hugged her every curve, stopping at mid-thigh, and the siren red stilettoes she wore made her four inches taller than her normal five- two. Closer, he guessed to his own six-foot one inch of height. Her long, layered hair fell to her waist, loose and a bit shaggy, as she let the boy she was dancing with spin her around and pull her back….

His tea cup broke. Madoka raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You could always cut in…" she muttered. Oliver's eye twitched. After the fight the day before, he almost dreaded touching her again. Almost. He stood, smoothly making his way over to her, catching her arm as she spun out again, before her now _former_ partner could spin her back in, she was caught in the middle of a laugh- something he realized quite suddenly, that he missed.

Before she'd come to Cambridge, the majority of memories he'd had of her were mostly of her being happy, she laughed with all of them, her cinnamon brown eyes sparkling with mirth. Now, she was mostly brooding, angry, sarcastic…

He was aware that much of her change was… his fault. He wasn't going to say that it wasn't. However, her innocently sweet smile seemed to be lost- that special look she'd used to give him when she didn't think he would notice…. The look that was meant for Eugene- the thought stopped him short….

But then he spun her into his arms and the thought was lost, as her gold eyes glazed over in surprise as they met with his own indigo ones. Her breath caught in her throat, and he could hear the crackle of electricity, even as thunder rang out, somehow louder than the music that pumped around them.

"What…" she whispered, eyes wide. He smirked. "Cutting in." he growled, his voice sounded gruffer- even to his own ears. God, she was warm…. His hand went to her waist. She still had to look up to him, though she was now taller (five-six) she still stood shorter than him, and that gave him an odd sense of victory that warmed his blood.

She shivered as his voice- lower and rougher than usual- hit her. She felt the tingle in her lower belly, and she let out a low hum, while another, secret part- the more animalistic part of her (he'd once called her a bunny… and maybe, once, she had been) whispered in her mind.

 _Mine…._

She did not acknowledge this… she _could_ not… but as he drew her in, as they danced, differently than she had with the other man (he'd told her his name, and she'd remembered it right up until She felt Naru grab her hand). Her breath hitched, and his smirk grew.

She _hated_ him for that… but she couldn't seem to make herself do anything about it. So soon after the spar, she was still more susceptible than ever to his…. Everything. She'd forgotten, had thought it teenage fancy… how she could never seem to keep it together around him as she hung on for dear life as a slow song came on.

 _Psyche_

"They look good together," Izumi said lazily as she stirred her long island iced tea. Psyche couldn't help but agree, as she looked over at her best friend and their coworker/boss. "No kidding," Emiko murmured, her grin flashed as she downed a shot of whiskey, her eyes also trained on the brunette girl that they'd come to care for as a sister. "If he hurts her again…" Tohru muttered darkly, even as Kuroda snorted. "Of course, he will." She replied. "It's life. However, if he breaks her heart as badly as he did that first time," she frowned. Psyche shook her head and sighed as she stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go dance, too. Keep a good vantage of them." She said.

"Why don't I join you, miss Mallory?" a familiar voice called. She looked over at Eugene Davis and smiled, taking his outstretched hand. "it would be a pleasure, Mr. Davis." She replied. He laughed, and she couldn't help but giggle herself. He led her out to the floor.

Feet away, their targets still danced, lost in their own little world. "I've never seen him like that, you know? Not since I died and helped them on cases." He murmured. She shuddered as his breath tickled her ear. "She's going to get hurt again…"

"He's trying to push her away." He muttered. She sighed. Though she hadn't known him for long, she felt comfortable enough to put her head on his shoulder. "Watching them is kind of tiring…" she said softly and felt his chuckle. "No kidding." He muttered. "I didn't get the sense… when I first met Mai…. That she was this strong willed." He said. "She's nothing short of amazing, and I wouldn't ask for anything else for my brother."

His tone was oddly wistful. "Did you… care about her?" Psyche asked. She felt him shake his head. "Not the way you mean. I figured out early on that she was for Oliver." He said it quietly. "Part of me wished… but I was dead at the time."

She nodded as the dance continued. Something in her felt warm. Like this was where she was meant to be. She didn't want to look at it too much. She closed her eyes and let him lead. She felt a bit drowsy.

 _Elsewhere in the club_

Madoka was in awe as she watched what was happening. She did not notice that she was holding on to her boyfriend's sleeve, until Lin pointed this out, gently asking her what she was watching so hard. She pointed to his students. "look." She whispered.

Slow dancing was one thing, but while one couple was giving off enough sparks to start their own personal thunderstorm, the other looked like they'd been doing this for years, the sweet, comfortable feel of their dance was palpable in its own right. Lin blinked dumbly for a few seconds.

"I… wasn't expecting that…." Takigawa said lowly, as he watched the two he'd known for years dance. He did, however, cast a glance to Masako, who'd been known to have feelings for their arrogant, dark haired boss. Masako just smiled behind her cup. She giggled. "Finally, something is happening…" she said. "I was getting tired of waiting for a breakthrough.

"I have to agree there, Masako." John sighed. The club was _not_ his first choice of places to go, but, it wasn't all that bad, not with all the others here. It was better than being at home… contemplating the reasons that he could not take that last step into priesthood….

He shook his blonde head as he cast his look back at the two on the dancefloor. It felt a bit, he thought, like a voyeur, and he wondered if anyone else felt the same. One look at the violet eyed woman beside him told him that she felt that way, too, and he felt the familiar surge of warmth as he looked at her. He smiled at her, bewildered by the feeling.

 _Anabelle_

She was in awe as she watched. She had known that Mai could dance. She'd been at the Gala, after all, in the same silver dress she wore now. Dancing was something that was unconscious for the both of them, however, when she was paired with someone else who knew his way around a dance floor, the result was amazing, and Oliver Davis obviously knew how to dance.

She wondered how much he knew, because she could feel the mental link she shared with Mai, or, more accurately, that was forged between the cousins, and she could feel that her cousin was utterly bewitched by him. She could only pray that the man she danced with felt the same.

"You've been avoiding me, Annie." The voice made her squeak, as she spun around to face Adrien. "Wh-what are you _doing_ here?" she hissed, anger coloring her tone. "And I _am_ avoiding you. You upset me. It's only natural to want to get away from you."

She pretended that the flash of emotion that came to his eyes was hurt. Good. I hope you feel that sting for a _long_ time…. his green eyes narrowed. "Not long ago, we were friends." He reminded her quietly, as he took her hand and her waist. She shook her head. "We were _never_ friends, Adrien. You made sure of that." She said it with a frown as she put her free hand on his shoulder. At this point, she couldn't do anything but let him spin her around.

Her eyes blazed as she heard his wince. "You did it on purpose, too." He shook his head. "Anabelle…" he muttered. She hissed. "No. do you _not_ remember the night before I left? I put you in the _hospital_. Why? Because of a stupid fight, after the _worst_ mistake of my life." She snapped.

"Mistake?" Adrien, for the first time, looked confused. "What the bloody, buggerin' hell do ye mean?" the Irish accent that the two of them had seemed to get thicker the angrier he got. Her eyes narrowed. "You… don't even _remember_." She pulled away from him. "You can't even remember _why_ it was that I put you in the damn hospital."

"What the bloody hell, Annie?" he hissed, yanking her back. "You can't have it both ways, now out with it." She slammed against his chest, small hands balled as she looked up into his jade colored eyes… eyes that everyone insisted were cooler and calmer than Finn's but, in reality, were more devastatingly passionate… at least to her. She felt herself weakening.

"I…" she couldn't finish the sentence for the life of her. Thunder rumbled, loud enough to be heard over the music. She winced, her eyes darkening to the same color as the storm clouds as she tried to speak. "Annie, you can't pull away again. Last time, you went across a continent to get away… Whatever _this_ is… You're going to have to come clean eventually." His words were low and hoarse in her ear, she shuddered, even as she turned her face enough to catch his glance.

His eyes were still turbulent, still trained on her, and she felt herself falling deeper, her eyes flickered to his lips, and unconsciously, she licked her own. His eyes followed the trail, and she whimpered. She was caught in his spell and she didn't know how to get out. Desperately, she looked away, trying to find some way to get a grip. She caught sight of her cousin for two seconds, before a hand caressed her check, coaxing her to look back at the man she'd known since childhood.

He leaned in, capturing her lips with his own… and her brain shorted out.

 _Mai_

She could not think. She could only give her body over to this man. Dear god, she was lost, and she didn't even have the slightest idea of how to return, even as she spun back into him, his hand found her waist, and she felt the warmth of his hand through her dress, making her want to whimper.

She didn't know if she actually did, but she didn't care. The sultry tone of the music pumped behind them. Not the usual clubbing music that was offered…. Someone must have requested something of the DJ that was not on the usual list.

She shuddered as she realized what was going on. She clutched his sleeve, small fingers digging in. he smirked as she shuddered. "Loosen up, Mai. It's just a dance…. Unless you're scared…." She froze, and glared up at him, gold eyes glittering. "I am many things, Oliver Davis…" She said slowly, as she spun out. The air sizzled around her. " _Scared_ is not one of them."

He smirked as he pulled her back in. "Could have fooled me." He stated simply. "You're wound up as tight as a spring." He chuckled into her ear and she felt herself heat up. He was cold. He was _supposed_ to be cold, so why… why did it seem like she was burning at his slightest touch?

 _You are weak…_ a voice invaded her head. She blinked. It sounded like…. Her eyes narrowed. _You have a_ lot _of nerve, calling me weak with the way_ you _acted in life, Cassandra._ She'd have to ask Lin if he'd ever had one of his spirits talk to him… but she was _not_ taking this crap from the likes of the badger-like spirit that she had under her control.

She turned back to Na- Oliver and her eyes glinted. "Wound up like a spring?" she all but crooned, as she let her hand slide down to his chest, "I'm not the one dressed like a business meeting is supposed to be happening in a club." She smirked as she pulled at his tie. "Let me guess, Gene had to threaten and or beg you to come with and you refused to act like any other twenty-three-year-old?"

He shrugged, uncomfortable with the thought that she'd been able to read the situation like a book. "How nice it must feel for you to be right about something." He murmured. "For once." Her back stiffened in his arms, and her gold eyes glinted.

Even after a few weeks, the changed color of her eyes still threw him off. It was disconcerting, but he wasn't about to let her see. She snarled. "Do you always have to say something rude? Is it a compulsion for you to try and insult me?" she drew away, and instantly, he missed having his arms around her. He steeled himself, putting a smirk on his face. "Only because you make it easy." He drawled.

She let out a frustrated growl. "You know, I came out to have some fun. I thought, maybe, I could have one night that I could just feel good, and maybe dance with some guy at a club. Instead, I find my night wrecked by you- _again,_ I might add- because _you're_ in a bitchy mood, and _I'm_ the easiest target to take it out on." She turned her back. "I'm done. She stated simply. "Thanks for making my night shitty, Naru. I hope you enjoyed it."

He could only stare as she walked away, and he swore that all he could hear was the click of her red high heels on the dance hall floor.

 _ **Kuroda**_

She slapped her face, as she held her drink. "Are. You. _Serious?_ " she hissed as she watched her best friend walk away. "What did he do this time?" She jumped as a low voice sounded by her ear. The tips of hers heated up, and she could only pray that they weren't the same shade of red as the dress worn by Emiko. She turned her face, angling it so that she could see the face of the man who'd leaned down.

"T-Takeshi-san… I… I thought you were back h-home…" she inwardly cursed her inability to speak in proper sentences around him… what he must think…

"I stayed." He stated shortly, cool, green grey eyes stared into her dark grey ones. She felt herself heat up and wondered if her whole body was blushing… and did he notice? Which lead in to the last week when she'd walked out of her room at _just the right time_ as he'd been coming out of the shower, wearing _nothing but a towel_ and … OH, dear Gods, Kuroda, now is _not_ the time…

"Uh… Oh… kay…"

He let a wry grin cross his face, and her heart started pounding. _Why_? She needed to _stop_. She was going to do something _incredibly stupid_ if he didn't just _back away…_ "You going to answer my question?" he asked gently, as he took her hand. "I… uh, what? What ques- what are you _doing_?" she gasped as he led her out on the dance floor.

She couldn't dance, and he _knew_ that…

"Dancing." He stated shortly, spinning her around. "Now, what did the idiot do to piss Mai off?" his eyes narrowed, going more green than grey now, and she was entranced. She shook her head, as the warmth of his hand hypnotized her. He didn't seem to realize the effect that he had on her.

There was no way in hell she'd be able to form a complete thought around him. She winced. "I don't know." She whispered, trying to find something- anything- to focus on rather than him and how warm she felt. Gods, her body felt like it was on a slow meltdown, and all she wanted was to _touch_. She shuddered, giving small whimper.

Takeshi frowned. "Are you okay, Kuroda-san?" he asked gently, releasing her. She wanted to scream.

She didn't know why she did it. Maybe it was the three Long Island Ice Teas she'd had but, she felt the rage in her blood take over. No longer weak, her eyes narrowed behind the glasses that she knew were a bit skewed. She grabbed the front of his dress shirt, and yanked him down, not even bothering to think of the consequences in her inebriated state, she kissed him.

She broke away, when he didn't kiss her back, and closed her eyes. "Oh… my god… I'm… I'm so sorry…" she whispered, backing away, her face going pale. Takeshi's eyes were locked on her as she retreated. He didn't say a word, but his arm shot out, and his hand wrapped around hers, drawing her back to him.

His green eyes searched her even as he leaned in again. This time, when their lips connected, she was the one caught off guard. Instantaneously, she felt like fireworks were going off in her mind. She couldn't think, didn't remember her own name. She couldn't even remember _his_ name. She was pretty sure that his name was 'mine'….

Because that was what her mind was screaming. Just with the meeting of lips. Then, he whispered against her, "open."

One word, so many meanings. She shuddered in his arms, as her lips parted, and suddenly, he was there, deepening the kiss, his tongue sweeping in, tasting her. She tasted him, too. Dark and savory, with a hint of a kick, and she went boneless. He held her up as she clung to his shirt.

She didn't know how long he kissed her, only that she felt almost bereft when it ended. He drew himself up, and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And now, it seems that I must apologize, Kuroda-san." He said it softly. She nearly cried out when he continued. "It won't happen again."

The dream had ended. She turned, eyes filled with tears that she would not cry, back to the others.

* * *

 _ **And there it is… the fifteenth chapter. Hope the wait was worth it. As always, R &R. Angel Of Pandemonium**_


	17. Not A Thing You Get to Choose

_I laughed maniacally the whole time I wrote this chapter, which, due to a major burst of artistic creativity took only a whole day to write…. And you will all soon understand why. By the way, as of after this chapter, the rating is getting jacked. New Arch starting._ _ **Trigger warnings from here on out is given because… well, this shit happens. More than most are willing to admit. I'll write it as well as I can, but it's going to get as gritty as hell, and as dark as I can get it**_ _._

 _ **There will be sex**_ _\- though, not gonna lie, I don't know how… detailed I'm going to get. Prepare for that. Not telling who. I will also tell you, Tohru and all of the other OC's (Besides my Irish ones and Sakurako) have some pretty… terrible backstories that I've only lightly touched on._

 _Honestly, I was gonna have Tohru end up with someone else… but, the way it's wanting to go, its turning out to be Yasuhara who she's for. Honestly, I was trying to get him with Emiko or Izumi, but for some reason, they just don't… click. Well, they do, but not in a romantic way. And for some reason, though I tried not to, Tohru… I think she needs him. It's happening anyway, FYI, but tell me what you guys think about it._

 _So many sad country songs went into this… but this line, this line makes me hurt… and puts so much into perspective. Only this song was on my playlist (for some reason) was not. Many tears were shed as I was writing this (You know, while I was laughing like an evil mastermind). It was… emotional for me._

 _This chapter seems to be nights of reflection... mostly lamenting love lost or love not returned._

 _because I'm a terrible person that loves me some angst._

 _Now, to answer the reviews that I currently have on the previous chapter._

 _ **ShotaroxPhillip:**_ _eventually. It's just going to take an ungodly amount of time…. *_ _ **in creepy dark and gluttonous voice* Because there's nothing I love more than the cries of despair and agony of the people whose love lives I fuck with….**_ _And yes, before you say anything else, I know that I'm a terrible person._

 _ **Glass Dragon's Rose**_ _: Oh, I love hearing from you. My favorite part of your review had to be 'Mai needs to kiss him stupid already'. This chapter, I am dedicating to you- well the whole thing is dedicated to all of my lovely readers, but this chapter specifically, is for you, because this review made me laugh like a lunatic._

 _ **Izumi. Takeshi -279 :**_ _Don't worry. Eventually, people will start getting their heads out of their asses… but not right now._

 _ **Joys**_ **:** _Always a pleasure to hear from you, Joys… and yes, Mai will continue to kick his ass figuratively. Not this chapter, though._

 _ **MirandaLovespie:**_ _He will continue to do so. I promise. And I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. I'm absolutely ecstatic that you like it so much that you'd reread the whole thing…. Which, by the way is… now 169 pages in word, with 75,283 words and counting._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16- Not A Thing You Get to Choose**_

 _I never thought that I could love_

 _Strangers at night were good enough._

 _But, love's not a thing you get to choose…._

 _Try to resist, you'll always loose._

 _ **Beth Crowley- Battle Cry**_

 _Two Weeks Later_

 _Tohru_

The tension was so thick, you'd need a serrated cutting knife to cut through it, she thought with a sigh., from Mai, from Annabelle, she expected it. How else would someone take what had happened- and _everyone_ knew _everything_ that had happened- Sakurako had sent her nephew out on some wild goose chase, just to get the stories out of everyone.

Emiko and Izumi were both out for blood when it came to Dr. Davis and Adrien. Psyche was too busy floating on a cloud to notice, sighing dreamily after the older Davis twin (at least _that_ , Tohru thought, was normal) to notice, but that wasn't even the real problem.

The two pairs seemed to keep the tension in the workplace, actually, there was no mention of what happened between Dr. Davis and Mai or Adrien and Annabelle outside of the four hours that Takeshi was out. Other than that, they were fine. A little more pissed off than usual (not to mention the fact that Annabelle had turned into a freaking water fountain with all the rain, but that was besides the point; Tohru really wanted to punch Adrien in his perfect face, which was _also_ besides the point)

No. The real tension was at home. When Takeshi and Kuroda were in the same room, specifically. The dark-haired girl had been very closed-mouthed when it had come to her own turn in the sharing corner, something that they had all forgiven- they'd get it out of her eventually.

That didn't stop the furniture from shaking when Sakurako's nephew came into the room. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. Tohru had taken to keeping out of the room when the two of them were in it. The same could be said at the University. Like now. As it was one of the days that Takeshi had been asked to help out, Tohru found herself sure that if she dared stay in there, she'd spontaneously combust.

She made a face. "Quite a show in there, isn't it?"

She jerked around to see who had spoken. It was Yasuhara Osamu. She blinked. Not two words he'd spoken to her before now, she thought. She chose her words carefully. "It seems rather difficult for them…"

"Ah, so she _does_ speak." He flashed a grin at her. "I was wondering if you only spoke in times of crisis... though if that is my hypothesis, you're proving it." He chuckled, and she cracked a grin. It was true. The last time she'd really said anything was when the team had gone to investigate the lady Cassandra- or, as Mai referred to her: 'the badger formed bitch that's a total pain in my ass.'

She shook her head. "I… don't think this is a time of crisis…"

At this, the young man threw his head back and laughed. She couldn't help but giggle herself. She could hear the bullshit in her own voice. "Oh, if that isn't the biggest lie I've heard in the last hour…" Yasuhara snickered. At this, Tohru's eyebrow rose. "Uh…. In the last _hour_?"

"It's how long it took me to find out where you've hidden yourself. I was actually worried that you'd gone up in flames."

"Oh… okay, who's lied about what in the last two hours?" her eyes sparkled with mirth, as he snorted. "The easier question would be, who's _not_ lying through their teeth about something right now?" he replied. "Because the answer to that is as followed: John, who doesn't know what the hell is going on; Masako, who's just laughing her ass of inwardly at the whole thing, and trying not to think about her own love life- or lack thereof; Madoka, who's eating popcorn, because we all know she's just resolving the tension beating at her with Lin, who has joined her in watching the train wreck; Professor Davis who is just worried about Naru; Gene, who's trying to woo Psyche, and she's _letting_ him. Fin's annoyed at his brother who's being an idiot where their childhood friend is concerned. Ayako and Takigawa are doing what they've always done, living in denial about wanting each other…"

"Okay. Okay, I get it, we're living in a soap opera." Tohru had to stop him before she started getting grey hair. "But none of them are the ones giving off horrendous sparks." She pointed out. "you know, the ones that…"

She flushed, realizing what she'd been about to say.

"The ones that have nasty side effects for anyone not currently in any sort of relationship?" Yasu drawled. She nodded. "I'd offer to help you out, but that might make me sound a bit sleazy." She gasped at him before she started laughing. "Oh, that's _rich_." She snorted as he gave her a doggish grin. She sighed as she leaned her head on the wall.

"I kind of feel a bit like a kid who's gotten in trouble in class and is now waiting outside in the hallway." She muttered.

"And it's all because Naru won't get his head out of his ass." Yasu nodded in understanding. She closed her eyes, relaxing against the wall. "How long has _that_ been going on, anyway?" she asked. Yasu once again laughed. "Since I've known them." He answered simply.

Her eyes opened again in shock. "Mai doesn't think so." She said, looking at him. His own head leaned back against the wall, the window adjacent to them let in the dark, grey light of the storm that was ever- present these days, courtesy of Mai and Annabelle, the lightning that flashed threw him in sharp relief.

Perhaps she hadn't let herself realize it before, but she noticed now how handsome he was. The glasses were just a plus- she'd always had a thing about them (something that Emiko and Izumi had teased her about endlessly, with Anna and Lani throwing in their two-yen in with it). He was lean, but she knew that he was strong- she'd seen him during the physical training spars they held in one of the outbuildings. But the lean muscles were hidden under his usual button down.

His Adam's apple was somewhat prominent, enough that she caught herself staring at his neck like a vampire, as he leaned his head back. "Back then, she was… happier." He said it quietly. "Hard not to see the difference between her then, and her now. It makes me wonder… just how much of her personality had to change for her to survive?"

She sighed. Yeah. There it was. "She had to do a _lot_ of growing up." She murmured. "Living on the streets… it's not something that the faint of heart can survive. Of course, she only _slept_ on the streets a handful of times, from what I know, John got her to stay with him most of the time, while he was off doing his… excorcising…?" she frowned. "How do you even say that? I made it sound like he was out running for five hours every day…" she snorted.

Yasu sighed. "I wish she didn't have to go through that…" he muttered. She shrugged. "She was already harder than she should be by the time we got to her. To be honest, we didn't meet in the best of circumstances." She told him. "She was in the middle of getting assaulted by a rival gang on our territory."

His head snapped up, grey eyes blazing as he grabbed her shoulders in a vise-like grip. All humor was gone, now and his face, which usually had a mischievously mirthful grin, was now drawn and angry. "What?" he snarled. She frowned.

"If you would let me go, that'd be great." She replied, her voice hardening. "I was about to tell you, anyway."

She felt his hands loosen, and he seemed to get himself under control. "My apologies. I didn't mean to… did I hurt you?" he asked. She shook her head. "No. I've had worse." She said it gently, he needed that. She sensed that the admission piqued his interest, but she didn't elaborate on that.

She sighed. "We saved her. She was fighting back, but that wouldn't have mattered in a few _seconds_. They had her on the ground. Her clothes were ripped. Kuroda recognized her, and she flew off the handle." She said. "Anyway, we beat the ever-living shit out of them, and then, we got her back to John's house, where she'd been heading in the first place. He was there." She shuddered when she relived the look of pure and utter _fury_ that had etched onto the sweet, blond exorcist's face at the sight of Mai, who'd looked like she'd been mauled.

"I bet _that_ pissed him off…" he muttered. Tohru snorted. "If I wasn't so sure he was a pacifist, I'd have said that the priest wanted to go find them himself." She replied. Yasuhara snorted at that but paused. "He's not. A priest, I mean. He _is_ a pacifist."

She cocked her head to the side. "But I thought…" He shrugged. "He hasn't been ordained."

"Oh." She didn't really know what to say about that. "But yeah, that was how we met Mai and John." She finished the story lamely, leaving it a bit awkward. She leaned against the wall. "You were telling me how it used to be, before, I mean, between Mai and Dr. Davis."

"Well, she and Naru would fight all the time- and by that, I mean she would yell at him, and he would either egg her on, ignore her, or on one occasion, get angry right back, but that resulted in getting himself put in the hospital because he sent himself into cardiac arrest." She gasped, eyes popping as wide as dinner plates as he casually mentioned that the man had thrown a hissy fit that had landed him in the hospital.

" _How_ on _earth_ did he manage _that_?" she asked, incredulous. He smirked. "He used his PK, though, because Gene was dead, and there was no one around able to help him control the amount of power he'd been putting off, he took it all himself. His body couldn't handle the strain, and it let him know by nearly killing him."

"I bet Mai was thrilled." She said wryly. He snorted. "Oh, she was a mess. She blamed herself, because she'd gotten him mad enough to do it in the first place." He shook his head. "I miss that Mai, sometimes. Then, at the oddest moments, she pops out again, and then…" he snorted.

"And then, Dr. Davis does something that pisses her off." She replied. "Sometimes, he just breathes and it's enough to piss her off."

"So true, but I've found that his breathing can be a bit annoying, sometimes…" Yasuhara smirked. "especially when he's using it to deny that he wants Mai as much as she wants him."

"Wanted him. She wants nothing to do with him these days," Tohru corrected. "And even if she does want him, she doesn't want to."

"That was oddly confusing, and really, if I had been anyone else, I would not have understood half of that." Yasuhara grinned. "You're an interesting woman, Tohru." She blushed, before shaking her head. "I'm not. Not really." she murmured. "You just don't know me well enough, yet."

She tried hard not to think of her past, even as a familiar voice told her 'you aren't worth anything. I should have dealt with you at birth.' She winced a bit. "Anyway," she quickly changed the subject. "At least you can get away from the horribly thick tension in there when you go back to the dorms…"

"If you think that's true, I have some ocean front property in the Sahara." Was the blunt reply. "It lingers…. So much." He shuddered. "There have been times that Fin and I have camped out at Takigawa and John's place, just to get away from Adrien."

"Yeah… but its only from Adrien. I've got to deal with Kuroda and Takeshi… who, for some reason, have been more…" she trailed off, struggling for the word. "Well, whatever it is, I've taken to hanging in the barn with Mai's pets…"

"Pets?"

"She's experimenting on whether or not animals can have the same psychic abilities as humans. So far, she's picked up a fox kit that can do what she does, and imprint his emotions onto her, and a barn owl that was born blind, but can hunt better than the other owls, who are not." She said. "I've no reason to think that she won't find any more, but between Masa, Yasu, and the horses…"

"Yasu?" Yasuhara frowned, confused. "The fox." Was the answer, and immediately, the young man was touched. "She named it after me?" Tohru smirked faintly. "I suppose she said you two had quite a bit in common." She returned.

"Aw… that's so sweet… and something I can rub into Naru's face." He grinned. "She hasn't named an animal after him."

"She'd have to hate that animal to name it after him."

"That…. Is very true at the moment… but still, you know what they say." A glimmer of mischief was back in those dark eyes, and Tohru blinked at the roguish look it lent him, feeling her cheeks heat up as he carried on. "There's a fine line between love and hate…"

 _Emiko_

She wasn't usually one to be so… annoyed. That was Izumi's job. The mother hen, as she called her twin- much to the latter's annoyance. Between the two of them, Izu was the one who sheltered Emi. From their parents, the creeps they dealt with on the street…. And now, even ghosts, Izumi just didn't leave her sister to face it alone.

However, likewise, she had taught Emiko to protect those you cared about, and right now, _two_ of her surrogate family members were in dire need of help…. Or, rather, in dire need of someone to kick the shit out of the two jackasses who'd _once again_ hurt them.

She didn't know what had gone down between the Irish twin and Annabelle; and was only vaguely aware of the shit between Mai and Dr. Davis. But this shit… well, she wasn't letting it fly. Her sisters were upset, and Emiko was having a hard time trying to reign in her powers. Control was paramount. If she were to raise a body's temperature too high, it could quite literally kill them. If she did the same, but made it lower, it could do the same.

She'd realized at a young age that her gift was dangerous when not used correctly. It was the one lesson she'd learned without her sister, and still, it gave her nightmares.

However, she got a perverse sense of joy when the Professor's son pulled at the collar of his black dress shirt, his face a bit more… colorful than usual. When he cast a look over at her, she gave him the most innocent smile she could muster. "You look so innocent, that he knows you're guilty." She grinned even wider, as she turned to the twin of the _other_ brother she wanted to strangle.

"I just jacked his body heat up two digrees. Not dangerous at _all_." She pointed out, even as Fin grinned. "Lass, I'm not seeing a problem with the way you're handling it. I'm just of the mind that you should be a bit sneakier while you go about it."

She snorted. "Where's the fun in that? He's just lucky Izu can't do anything right now. It's hot enough in here as it is, and it's _not_ just because I'm fucking with his body temperature." She fanned herself theatrically, as _his_ twin looked over at her, while she still had the Cheshire cat's grin, and he glared.

"Are you doing the same to Adrien?"

"Can't focus on too many people at once. Burns _me_ out, and frankly, I don't like the idea of going to the hospital because I'm running a major fever. Izumi would never let me hear the end of it."

"Yet you're still doing it to Dr. Davis." "For the next few minutes. I want him to suffer a bit." He let out a snort. "Please, if ye can, do my brother as well. He deserves it." He cast an annoyed glare at the other, who glared back. Emiko smiled, laying a hand on his arm. "He's making you mad by upsetting her?" she frowned.

"I thought that was something you'd want?" She might be reading the entire situation wrong, though, it seemed to her that Fin had feelings- strong feelings- for Mai's cousin. Fin blushed a bit. "I… I know she cares for him." He sighed. "I know he cares for her, too, though he's too pigheaded to admit to it. Knowing that they both feel the way that they do, is it really right for me to step in between that?"

So, she was right… "It takes a noble man to stay out of the way, even though his feelings are the same as his brother's." she murmured gently. "I don't quite agree with you. Knowing Annabelle as I do, I believe she deserves the best, and right now, that is _not_ Adrien. Maybe you should take a step?"

At that suggestion, he shook his head. "She's not for me. I know that. I can't help it that I feel the way I do, but she's not for me." She sighed. "you wish she was, don't you?" she murmured, and he gave her a soft smile.

"I do." He murmured, sadly. Though he knew nothing would ever come of it, even as his eyes drifted to the silver eyed girl.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Later That Night, Winter Hall_

 _Mai_

She and Annabelle were in her room, Yasu lay in Mai's lap, and she idly stroked the creature's dense, soft, red fur. She supposed it should be white by now, but because he lived inside the mansion with the girls, it never changed color. She sighed. "Annabelle," she said it slowly, "You have to talk to him. He has _no_ idea…"

"I _won't_. I _won't_ put myself through that again. IF he's blocked it off…" she shook her head. "I don't want to deal with it anymore. He can have his mood swings. I'm not putting myself out there to be hurt again." And that was something Mai could understand. Hell, she was giving _this_ girl advise that _she_ herself couldn't follow.

Talk to him.

But, every time she'd _tried_ , he'd started another argument with her. What was she to do with that? What she wanted to do right now, was call Ayako and Sakurako, and ask them what they'd do. Then again, what was the point of that? One was notorious for being an old maid- by her own words- and the other couldn't figure out her own feelings.

She sighed, as Yasu jumped out of her lap. She herself got up, and walked over to her cousin, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Get some sleep, Annabelle. You look like you need it." She said softly. Annabelle nodded as she got up and sighed.

"When he kissed me… Mai, I don't think I'll ever get over him." She shook her head, dark hair flying with the quick movement. "What am I supposed to do when he can capture me with one kiss?" she asked, her voice became a thread of sound, and nothing more, fear lacing the wobbly tone. Mai shrugged helplessly. "I… I don't know." She replied, as her cousin walked out.

She wondered how long the other woman could hold out before she had to get out. She wondered how strong _she_ was. She sighed as she settled back down on her bed, ready to sleep, knowing that it might not happen…..

 _She ran. Had to get away… had to escape…._

" _Ah, ah, ah…" a tisking voice purred, she gasped as a hand grabbed her wrist, and a knife was at her neck. "escaping again? Naughty girl…" he gave a hoarse chuckle as he drew a line of red at her throat. She gasped, chest heaving,_

" _L-let me go… please, let me go!" she begged, knowing that there was only one way he would. "Soon, my pet," he crooned, forcing her back, glee in his eyes._

" _Soon…" he forced her head back and forced her to receive his kiss._

 _She sobbed._

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Eugene and Oliver_

He woke with a start, indigo eyes darting around the room. "Noll?" the voice at his bedroom door belonged to his brother.

He got up, running a hand through his black hair, messing it up more than sleep had, groggy and slightly ill. Opening the door, he faced his brother, whose face was paler than usual. "Gene?" he muttered, trying to get his bearings. "You touched it, didn't you? Dad told you to wait." The older twin sounded angry.

Oliver winced, as his brother reached out, he shuffled back. "Don't. Not right now. You know how it goes." He said it sharply. Glancing behind him at the bedside table. "He didn't… it wasn't easy." He muttered, disgusted. The residual feelings of the woman were…. Intense. Eugene backed up. "That's why we wanted you to wait…. Until tomorrow at the base…"

"No. Hell no, Eugene. You all knew I wouldn't wait. Not with what we already knew. I will _not_ put myself in that position… and you know Masako, Mai and Annabelle at _least_ have Empathy as well." He growled. Eugene winced. "Ah… we might have…"

"Let it slip your minds? I'm aware of that, brother. Did it also slip your mind that Mai feeds off my emotions more readily than the others?" he snarled. "Hell, she probably caught a bit of it anyway." He looked out the window. "Winter Hall isn't all that far away…" he murmured.

"Been a long time since we've been there, hasn't it? Not since the lady…."

Oliver shrugged. "No… though I think I left some of my things over there…" He wondered what room she slept in. "I caught that, Noll." Eugene smirked. "and what would you do if she was sleeping in the same room as you did?"

The thought came unbidden, her laying in the same bed… and the feeling of a fist to the gut- flaming and hot with lust nearly made him double over. He snarled, glaring at his brother. "Are you purposely an ass, or are you trying to make me kill you?" he hissed.

A self-satisfied smirk settled on Eugene's face. "Just trying to put it in perspective, brother. By the way," his grin widened as he stoked the fire, "I know you left a few of your shirts there…"

He almost whimpered. He knew that Eugene was doing it to be an ass… but, _Jesus_ , the thought of _her_ in the bed he'd slept in the last time they'd gone to visit the elderly psychic, wearing one of the shirts he'd left there….

It was tantalizing. The thought nearly enough to do him in. "I. _Hate_. You." He snarled. Eugene just laughed tauntingly. Like a shot, Oliver's fist was slamming into the wall beside his head, and a hostile look that was not quite tamed gleamed in his indigo eyes. "You're playing a _dangerous_ game, Eugene." He hissed.

"Maybe it's time someone does, Noll." He said quietly. "you're hurting her needlessly. You're hurting yourself. I'm getting tired of watching it. I didn't come back to watch you throw your life away." He wondered how many times he'd have to say it to get it through his brother's thick skull.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Elsewhere_

 _Masako_

She wandered to the kitchen in the small cottage that she'd rented with Ayako to make tea. She hadn't so much as tried to make anything in the kitchen besides the hot drink, though. She wasn't any good at cooking anything that was available to them in England- though Madoka had been teaching her- with the exception of Rice, and Ayako sucked at cooking, period. Didn't matter what it was, she just burned everything.

The woman could perform minor surgery, and cleanse ghosts with the help of local shrubbery, but put her red-headed ass in front of as stove-top, she was completely clueless. Needless to say, they ordered out a lot- or bought many cans of soup; and would until she got the hang of Western style cooking which was still different (according to Psyche Mallory) than American cooking.

She was thanking her lucky stars that they hadn't gotten a case that made them travel that far… yet. This midnight snack and tea she had was all her, and this gave the petite woman time to think. Right now, she was thinking about all that had happened at the club two weeks before.

Takeshi and Kuroda… who knew? She snorted- probably everyone in that house. Mai certainly had mentioned something about that before, Emiko and Izumi had teased the darker haired psychic about it before, though usually covertly.

Like the others (mainly the female set of identical twins), she found herself furious with Oliver for the way that he constantly played hot and cold, and Adrien just for hurting Annabelle Fitzgerald. She truly wondered sometimes, if Oliver cared about Mai or not.

She supposed this was worse for Mai, being _in_ the situation, and frankly, a few years ago, Masako would be jealous of Mai's relationship with the dark-haired scientist, but now? Now she only found herself envious of the fact that Oliver returned her feelings- though he seemed to be fighting it.

She would give anything for John to see how she felt…

She winced. That sounded so selfish. He was… he was an initiate, waiting to be ordained. How could she be angry at that? How could she possibly hate the religion that was taking him? It was wrong, she knew. Yes, the church had its problems- what organized religion didn't? He loved his religion.

But by the gods, she wanted the man….

It was like an ache that had grown with each passing moment in his presence. He didn't seem to notice her feelings for him. She kept silent. If she spoke… if she gave him doubt, and then he regretted it… She wouldn't survive that, and she knew it. She would fade away, fade away into a ghost like those they hunted.

So, she lay awake night after night, until midnight, when she would sit up with tea, and try to catch the elusive idea of sleep that never seemed to want to bless her with its numbing darkness, and she used time to think, and ponder which was worse.

They say that it was better to have loved and lost, rather than to never love at all… but was it better to love from afar and never speak up, or take the chance and cause someone to regret? Was taking the chance better, or just selfish? She knew, John being who he was, that her feelings would weigh on him, and make him worry about hurting her.

She didn't want that, she figured that letting him go was the best thing she could do. It was the _right_ thing to do… She laughed softly, though she felt her heart breaking. In her young life, she'd only had interest in two boys- men now, both of them. The first wanted nothing to do with her and had fallen in love with another woman in front of her very eyes. She hadn't actually loved him. Not really. He was a memorable first crush, though. The second was as out of reach as the first, and she was so in love with him….

The whole situation was impossible.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Takigawa, John and Lin_

Though he was all but a priest, he did drink. It wasn't a vice, he didn't do it often enough for that. He rarely drank enough to get buzzed let alone drunk in the first place. His roommates- Takigawa and Lin (surprisingly), however, did.

Upon arriving in England, John and Takigawa had asked Lin if they could move in- it seemed less trouble. John could have stayed at the church, but….

He was taking a sabbatical.

He wasn't sure if being a priest was really what he wanted. He didn't know what that meant, and he didn't know when the seed of doubt first sprouted. Up until a few years ago, he was certain, completely comfortable in the idea of what he was doing. Now, every time he tried to make the commitment, he found himself hesitating.

He'd prayed many, many times for an answer, but had yet to receive one. So, here he sat, well on his way to getting buzzed, wondering what was holding him so far back. He sat by himself at midnight, in the kitchen with three fingers of spiced rum- something he remembered his father drinking growing up.

He grinned wryly at the thought. His father had been resigned to the fact that his son had wanted to do something so… different but had supported him. His mother had been happy for him (but confused, like his father). His siblings had all wondered when he'd lost his mind. He took another sip and sighed as the liquor burned down his throat.

It had been a _long_ time since he'd drunk to this degree. He'd have a head in the morning, but he figured for now that it was worth it. Dark violet eyes filled his mind, and he had to frown thoughtfully. He knew who they belonged to. He'd thought her pretty the first time he'd seen her.

Like a doll, large plum eyes that took over her face, set in a heart shaped face, framed by hair the color of the midnight sky and skin the color of the new fallen snow. Back then, he had found her to be a bit aloof, and, though it shamed him, just a bit shallow. While he found Mai vivacious and a bit naïve, he found Masako quiet and a bit pessimistic.

Over the years of working with her, he had changed his first impression drastically. She was quiet, yes, but nowhere _near_ as shallow as he thought. Instead, she was kind, but closed off, years of working with people who thought her a charlatan, or tried to take advantage, be it her money or her fame, had forced her to build walls around herself.

She hid that joy of life, as well as a secret well of searing warmth and passion for what she did behind a wall of cold, out of necessity.

After a while, she'd become Mai's friend, and later, he was able to consider himself one of the special few people that she let inside those walls. He smiled gently as he remembered the long road they'd all taken to get to be the way they were now.

How many times had she called just to check on Mai because she couldn't be there? How many times had he picked up instead of the brunette, and ended up talking through the night, giving and taking advice, swapping stories?

He'd grown close to Takigawa and Ayako the same way. In a way, the worst year of Mai's life brought her family closer together- with one glaring exception, that was. To this day, he wondered how in the world Noll couldn't see that it was _him_ Mai had fallen for, and not his brother, but that was not his business. Not unless either party got him involved.

He had to think that it would all work out in the end. He sighed as he finished the snifter of rum and rose from the table. It was time to head for bed, he thought, running a hand through his messy, slightly curly blond hair. Tomorrow was a new day, and perhaps, enlightenment would follow the sun's rising.

And when the young man rose the next morning, he would push the dregs of the dream he'd had (much to his embarrassment and shame) of the gorgeous, doll like woman to the very back of his mind, where they belonged.

Tomorrow, they would have work to do, and he wondered about the case Oliver and his father had been discussing.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _All that could be heard were the sounds of grief, of fear and of pain. They would not escape, she thought to herself. Though they tried, though they_ all _tried, and through their gifts had many abilities, they could not escape their captor._

 _He was truly stronger than they were, even combined. It was her turn that night, she thought, dully. Dread filled her, and she wondered how much more he would take from them before he was satisfied. She shivered, and, though it was hard to think of anything besides that she had nothing to keep her warm, she planned._

 _She planned, and she prayed._

 _Tonight would be the last time._

 _She swore it…._

* * *

This actually was ripped out of me at an alarming speed. almost as alarming as the first few chapters. I'm proud of myself... but don't be lulled into a sense of security. I don't know when I'm going to update again. As always, R&R. Angel Of Pandemonium


	18. Hell of A Feeling

_**I'm ba~ack! Did ya miss me? I missed me, too. I swear to you all, I didn't mean to be gone so long. Anyway, get ready for more shenanigans of the drunken kind, because… well, yeah. This is the first chapter of this case… and really, it's kind of a doozy. Got a lot planned for it. A**_ **lot** _ **.**_

 _ **Now, On to the comments:**_

 _Star0Dragon0Slayer-_ _ **We all do crazy things, when we're in love… and, while he'd never straight out say it, he does love her…**_

 _Joys_ - _ **thanks. It's nice to hear that. Honestly, working with so many characters can be really challenging.**_

 _CaitHawke4Ever-_ _ **Such is the life of a character in a drama fic… but I love writing it so much.**_

 _Airmage-_ _ **thanks… though warning, that separating by paragraphs thing… it ain't happening. As far as rules go, I don't really follow it.**_

 _ **As far as reviews go, that's it for this chapter. On to the actual chapter!**_

* * *

Chapter 17- Hell of A Feeling

 _I'm a scholar and a gentleman_

 _and I usually don't fall when I try to stand_

 _I lost a bet to a guy in a chiffon skirt… but I make these high heels work._

 _I've told you time and time again, I'm not as think as you drunk I am_

 _And we all fell down when the sun came up_

 _I think we've had enough…._

 _All right, All right, It's a Hell of a feeling, though_

 _ **~Panic! At the Disco- Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time**_

It was uncommon for the whole team to be needed, Mai thought. It had been different in Japan- there hadn't been many them in the first place, and Yasuhara had been a high school student- so he couldn't tag along as much- though _she_ did, but that, again, was beside the point. She'd been an official employee at the time and counting her and Madoka- who'd visited a few times- there had been nine of them.

And even that had only happened once- during the whole debacle at the mansion. She shuddered at the memory. Now, there were nineteen of them, with Professor Davis, Gene, Izumi, Emiko, Tohru, the Connally twins Annabelle, Psyche, and Kuroda. twenty if Takeshi went as well.

Apparently, it was necessary… that was the plan…. Up until about ten minutes later, when Na- Oliver came back in and informed them that none of the members of the fairer sex of their team would be going _anywhere near_ this case… cue and instant and vicious uproar.

Right up until Professor Davis himself came in and told them the same thing. None of the women would be accompanying them on this case. It was far too dangerous for them. They had enough people for this to go smoothly without putting any of them at an unnecessary risk.

When Mai pointed out that she would dream details of the past of the case anyway, Oli- _Dr. Davis_ had rebutted with 'There's this invention called a _phone_ , Mai, and if you don't understand how to use it _now,_ I fear you will _never_ grasp the concept.' She'd very nearly strangled him for that one. It had been close, though, Lin and Takeshi had both had to literally grab her and restrain her from jumping on him and wrapping her hands around his neck.

His smirk had just made her lash out in other ways and she ended up conjuring a blast of wind strong enough to shove him back into a wall (with enough force and momentum to jar him momentarily), to which Annabelle had used her own psychic abilities to cut Mai's off, though she, herself was furiously glaring at her childhood friend and his asshole of a brother.

Yasuhara, Eugene, and Fin had been apologetic, as had John and the Professor. Lin and Takeshi had both been adamant in the decision, backed as well by Takigawa. Adrien had kept his mouth shut- fearing what would happen if he opened it. He'd been behind the idea, as well, but was wise enough that he didn't draw attention to himself- especially knowing the destructive tempers in the room.

When the pandemonium had finally run its course- which _really_ meant when the ridiculous storm conjured by the two weather witches, the heatwave from hell from Izumi and Tohru, the oddly high fevers from Emiko, a _tree_ that had come to life (the Professor had been impressed by Ayako for that one), and the other outbursts of psychic tempers had tempered down (even Oliver had to admit that the PK show provided by Mai, Psyche, Annabelle, and Kuroda was _spectacular-_ though he did not say it out loud), and they fixed the mess they'd made, the professor- who was constantly having to diffuse the situational outbursts caused mainly by his son- explained the reasons for his decision.

twelve bodies in two days.

Mai winced at the thought. True, she'd thought that Japanese ghosts and dark entities were worse, but that had been before this case. All twelve victims that had been found were women. Not only that… but they had _all_ in some way, been connected to the…. Occult. Like they themselves, these women had been known to be psychic- or had, at least, insinuated that they were.

This in itself was a bit terrifying. There wasn't any link to the cause being a serial killer, either, other than what looked like coincidence, there seemed to be no real psychical similarities. Some were brunette, some blonds, others, still, were redheads and every color in between. Same with skin tone, height, and weight… religious background.

There was also evidence of others besides the twelve already found. By the time that the professor was done explaining, the women of the crew had decided to go along with the wishes of the eldest ghost hunter in the room.

Though none of them liked it… at all.

This was probably how the lot of them had ended up back at Winter Hall, all with some sort of alcoholic beverage in their hands. Masako was the first to speak. "I'm worried." She whispered it, as if she were admitting to a fault of some sort, as she clutched the cup of sake that Mai had handed her. Her large violet eyes were a bit dull. Mai shook her head, putting aside her own cup of the same liquid.

"We shouldn't be. They've been in the game longer than us." She reminded the (partially retired) television celebrity. "It's not like we haven't dealt with a malevolent spirit slightly like this anyway…"

"It was worse than you think." Madoka (who'd been the only one of them not to say a word- probably because she knew what had _really_ happened to those women) said it softly. So much so that Mai was the only one who picked it up.

"Madoka. We all know I'm going to dream of it… you might as well tell me." She muttered, though the reaction that the pink-haired woman gave her did not make her feel better about this. Madoka just shuddered. "You don't want to know, Mai."

"I'm going to know anyway. I already had a dream…" she winced as Sakurako's head shot up, and those large, dark eyes narrowed on her ward. Madoka had jerked, eyes wide with shock, as well. Obviously, she'd not been expecting that, which worried the younger woman all the more. What… what had happened besides what she'd seen?

"I… don't know…" Madoka was still unsure.

"Again, Madoka, I'll just see it anyway. I didn't get a pass with the damn mansion… you know, with the man who turned himself into a demon? Yeah…. Got to get my throat slit." She frowned. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"When did you start having these dreams?" Sakurako asked quietly. Her dark eyes narrowed on Mai's golden ones and the girl winced. "Ah…." She muttered. A few days ago…" she muttered. She looked down into her cup, before she downed the sake like a shock of whiskey.

"Mai…" Annabelle muttered. "You _really_ should have told us." Her eyes, now dark and stormy grey, were also narrowed as she glared at her cousin, who just sighed and shook her head.

"I… didn't know until they showed us the pictures. That's not how my dreams work. I still don't know _how_ my dreams are triggered… but … I dream cases _before_ I know about them, only to find out when the professor or Dr. Davis-"

"Mai, can't you just call him Oliver?" Madoka asked.

The small brunette snorted. "Sure… when they start making snow-cones in hell…"

"You do realize that in Dante's Inferno, the ninth circle of Hell is the coldest place in existence, right?"

Mai just shrugged. "Still," she said. "That makes it _too_ cold for snow-cones. It'd never snow there, making snow cones impossible." She smirked. "I will _not_ call him Oliver. Or Naru," her voice became a whip at the last part when Masako opened her mouth.

Ayako sighed. "Dear Kami, Mai, don't you think it's time to give it up?" she asked. Masako sighed, as Mai's eyes flashed, her temper reared up.

" _No_. I _don't_." she hissed. "If I did…" she shook her head. "I'd prove him right. Again." She hissed.

"Mai, what do you mean?" Masako asked softly, her worried purple eyes went dark with confusion. The brunette looked away, her body stiffened, and her jaw clenched. Izumi and Emiko looked at each other, thoroughly confused as well. However, Annabelle stiffened as well, her grey eyes glowing silver with anger.

"Remember the day that Mai got so worked up that Takeshi took the two of us to spar somewhere? Yeah… that was Cambridge University, and we weren't the only ones there. Both of the other sets of twins… Yasuhara, Lin…. They were all there." She took a sip of her own glass of scotch (she'd shrugged at the raised eyebrows, just because she was Irish didn't mean she couldn't enjoy scotch) before she spoke again. "Well… they decided to pair her up against Dr. Davis…"

Masako winced. "Ah… he won?" she asked softly. Psyche sighed. "That… doesn't explain it…"

"he found out about the lightning thing." Mai muttered, her face going red. "And he… _used_ it."

"Lightning thing?" Ayako's red brow shot up as she asked, her hand went to the younger woman's arm. "Mai… what is the lightning thing?"

Mai winced. "Imagine… if you could change the weather, Ayako… and it happened to start a lightning storm whenever you… say… had a… reaction…. To Monk?"

"What reaction do I have besides anger?" Ayako's sudden defensiveness made the brunette smirk. "I don't _have_ any other reaction." She insisted. Taking a sip of wine, though her voice was more forceful than it usually was, which just made Mai smirk, though she said not a word.

It was actually Emiko who snorted. "Oh, please… it's not like you two _hide_ it… And if you really think that you _do_ … well, I have news for you." She smirked, her eyes glinted. Izumi shook her head. "You're almost as obvious about it as Mai and Annabelle are forced to be."

"What the hell does that mean?" the two cousins snapped.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "Really, you two? You get turned on and cause lightning storms." She said bluntly, as per usual.

Much like Tohru- who was nursing a Bloody Mary in the corner silently watching the exchange- Izumi did not speak much… actually, she had a tendency to talk _less_ than the other girl, and she tended to be _way_ blunter when she did speak. Case in point… Mai went brilliantly scarlet and let out a high-pitched sound that was more like a teapot going off than anything, and Annabelle's jaw dropped, while her own face went the exact same shade. Two pairs of eyes- one silver, the other gold, were glued onto their friend in horror, anger, and humiliation.

" _WhY wOuLd YoU sAy ThAt?"_ Annabelle shrieked her voice cracking, at the same time that Mai screeched "I _dO NoT!"_ instantly, their respective glasses of liquor broke. Sakurako snickered at the outburst and raised a brow in Ayako's direction.

In the months that they'd been in England, Sakurako, Ayako, and Madoka had gotten together a fair few times, they'd become friends, and with that, came certain… knowledge as to their passions. "Now why does _that_ sound familiar…?" she chuckled, eyeing the other woman. Ayako glared at her.

Mai's eyes narrowed at the redhead, even as Izumi turned back to Ayako and said, "If you were in Mai or Annabelle's shoes, you'd be lighting up the sky on an hourly basis." Her voice was dryer than the martini she was sipping on, "It'd be _worse_ than what Mai and Annabelle do right now."

Ayako gaped at the girl, her eye wide as dinner plates. "Why I _never…_ "

"And now you have." Izumi drawled lazily. "Get over it. You want Takigawa so bad, just go for it. It's highly unlikely that he would turn you away." She took another sip, smirking as she let out a slight hiccup. "Maybe even give the rest of us some relief, because the tension is getting thick enough that I'm about two seconds from just buying the lot of you adult toys of the… _vibrating_ kind."

Emiko snickered as the women in question gaped in a comically horrified way at her sister. "Man, Izu… how much vodka is _in_ that? You're so talkative tonight." her eyes were a bit glazed as well, though her Long Island Ice tea was just as bad. "Though she's right. If you want him that badly, just jump him, already."

Ayako just worked her jaw without saying a word, glaring at the twins. "I have _no_ clue what you're on about…" the muttered.

"You want to have hot jungle monkey sex with Takigawa." Izumi spoke slowly, annunciating each word, as if speaking to a child. "If you need me to tell you again, I don't mind…. But come on. We all know. Just own up to it already."

Mai burst out laughing at the look on Ayako's face, the tension draining out of her, as she did. Psyche snorted into her honey whiskey and coughed, tears coming to her eyes, while, Tohru just sighed, leaning over to snatch the martini from her friend. "Enough of that from you, Zuzu." She said lazily as Masako was choking on her drink. "You can't just tell people who they want to fuck and expect them to fall in line."

She pondered for a minute before she smirked. "Besides, if Ayako really had a lady boner for the monk, she wouldn't _really_ waste time fighting with him… not unless she got off on it like foreplay."

"Are you insinuating that she gets turned on arguing with him?" Kuroda smirked, adjusting her glasses over her White Russian. "Because that's what it sounds like…" the others roared with laughter at the spluttering priestess. Masako just patted the redhead's back with faux sympathy.

"There, there," she smirked. "I told you they all knew… now if only Monk knew about that copy of the Kama Sutra you've got…" A sly grin covered her face, as she jeered at her friend, to which the others shrieked with laughter.

Madoka just smirked as she sat back, happily secure in the knowledge that she'd _completely_ redirected the conversation- and, while she really got a kick out of where it had headed (and really, watching Ayako suffer was a plus), she could only hope that Mai was wrong about dreaming about it.

* * *

 _Outside Winter Hall, where the shadows of the surrounding forest kissed the sunlit meadow where the mansion stood, looking directly into the sitting room, a pair of blood-red eyes gazed longingly at the women inside. Filled with a rapturous lust for what was inside the room, it moved forward a step, one step closer to the house…._

 _Only to howl in agony as a bright, glowing golden-white line seared through it, disintegrating its arm._

 _It needed those women._

 _It needed their bodies…. Their powers._

 _Soon, it hissed. Soon I will have you- each and every one…. You will not escape…. And without so much as a sound, it disappeared into the waning light of the sunset._

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _ **Elsewhere**_

The unpacking went by quickly and quietly, unlike usual, where they all joked around… but this was different. The air around the whole team was… grim. Even Yasuhara and Eugene- the resident jokers- were silent. Oliver could not help but feel the spike of fear travelling through his brother's body, invading his own.

Takegawa's mouth was set in a grim line, and John was muttering as he searched his books with Adrian and Fin, all were praying that they would find an answer. "We really should have told them…" Takeshi said softly. His eyes were dark with worry as well.

"We still don't know what we're dealing with…" Takigawa pointed out. "It could just be a serial killer…" even while he spoke, Oliver was shaking his head, a grim look on his face, his indigo eyes dark with trepidation. If he was worried, the monk thought, then perhaps they should _all_ be worried… after all, it wasn't often that the man was worried- or at least _showed_ that he was worried.

"What do you _think_ we're up against?" Yasuhara asked, frowning. "Because _you_ of all people have to have a theory, Naru."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Oliver's voice had turned icy, his body was stiff. At this, the young man cracked a smirk, while Eugene snickered. Oliver scowled at his brother and shook his head. "I'm hoping I'm wrong, anyway…" his frown deepened as he walked through the door.

Instantly, the memories crowded him. He was no longer with the group. Instead, he was there, watching the scene as if it were a movie.

 _She ran through the hallway, her eyes wide with horror and fear… bearing cuts and bruises all over her body, she bit her fist as she ran, trying to keep the sobs and screams from coming out. She had to run._

 _She had to get away from…._ It _… oh, god, why was this happening to her? She hurt… everywhere… the blood dripping down her body left a trail… but she wouldn't be another victim… she would escape._

Oliver stumbled back a few feet, right into Lin, who had the grace to catch him. Putting a now cold, clammy hand on his forehead, Oliver sucked in a breath. "Shit." He growled.

"Woah, big boss, I don't think that I've ever heard you curse like that… though it was beneath you." Yasuhara snorted. Oliver turned to glare at him, his indigo eyes narrowing in contempt. Jerking his head, he brushed off his clothes and sighed.

"I do." He stated. "Usually, however… in this case, I really couldn't find anything more eloquent to say." He replied. "Because _shit_ is actually the nicest word I could come up with at the moment." _I just hope I'm far enough away…._ He silently added. He didn't want any of the others- especially certain brunettes with whom he seemed to share an odd connection of sorts- to see what he'd just seen…

There was going to be hell to pay in the first place, he didn't need a hysterical woman to deal with when he got back…

"She'd kill you for that…" Eugene muttered. "If she _ever_ knew you thought that, she'd absolutely murder you, brother dear…" he shuddered at the thought of Mai ever finding out his brother thought of her as _hysterical_. The image was rather… brutal.

"Eugene, shut up, please." Oliver grumbled.

"She's not the wilted flower you seem to see her as, you know." His twin carried on. "She's got a spine of steel, and a waspish temper straight out of hell." He pointed out.

"And how would you know?" Oliver seethed.

"Well, I've been keeping tabs on her and- wait, how do you _not_ know? She helped you _break the lab_ when she first arrived from Japan, she's very nearly set you on _fire-_ did you realize you were _smoking_ last night when we told them they couldn't go? I felt the energy…. And it came from Mai." He shook his head. "If you keep up your current attitude mum and dad are going to have to use that grave they had dug for me… for _you_."

"Wrong name on the gravestone for that…" the younger Davis twin pointed out.

"You do realize they'd get another one for you, right?" Eugene smirked. Oliver just rolled his eyes.

"Can we please focus on the case instead of Davis' marital problems with Taniyama?" Adrien growled behind them. "I'm wanting to get home soon… and the sooner this case is taken care of, the sooner I can get there.

There was silence once again after that, none of them were keen on taking this job. Somehow, it just felt wrong. Almost like they were in the wrong place. Like the evil had left, and the only thing remaining was the residue of evil… a veil that had been left by _whatever_ had cased this.

Oliver- who had completely ignored Adrien's verbal barb (much to his brother's annoyance) turned to the two Omnyoji. "Can you send them out?" he asked of the two. "I have a bad feeling." Nodding Takeshi and Lin whistled, and two bright orbs of light floated in front of them.

They split up into groups of two- each of them went a separate direction. With this much ground to cover, even with all of them, it took quite a bit of time… time they realized that they did not have. Eugene shook his head as he frowned at his brother. "I'm not getting a reading at all, Noll." He reported softly. "It's like whatever was here… is gone."

"That can't be right." Yasu butt in, his own face held an unusual frown as well. "Everything I've read is saying that this place is the starting point, the place the soul is tied to…. Why- _how_ \- could a spirit just up and leave…?"

"There was that one case… remember, Noll?" Eugene started slowly, his face draining of color. "Six years ago… when the spirit moved… because…" he trailed off, horror showing on his face.

Oliver went pale as well, his eyes darkening, and he whipped around to face his twin. "You don't think…" his voice was deathly quiet, calm… deadly. Eugene nodded slowly, his face twisting to mirror his brother's dark look. "I think…" he told Oliver, "that it's the only explanation…"

"How though? Unless…"

"Unless he caught the trail of a few souls… through another connection…"

"Eugene, you don't think…?"

"What the _hell_ is going _on_?" Takigawa yelled suddenly. "Naru, _seriously_ , what are you _talking_ about?"

"The ghost got a new target through Oliver." Lin answered, his eyes narrowing. " _How_ that happened is beyond me.."

"I thought this one went after women? Why would it find a new mark through Naru?"

"She must have connected with him when he used his psychometry." Eugene hissed. Lin blinked, jerking his head to the older twin, eyes blazing with fury. "What?" he snarled.

"I don't know how… I made sure I wasn't anywhere _near_ her." Oliver snapped. "Specifically _for_ that reason."

"It's after the girls, isn't it?" Takeshi asked.

Oliver was already turning around, his face paler than normal. Eugene was cussing as he followed, with Lin right on their tails. Oliver turned back to the others. "Yasu, John, Takigawa, Takeshi, Adrien, Finn, take down the base. It's moved." They jumped into action.

"Oliver, we've waisted too much time…" Eugene said. Oliver shook his head, glaring at his brother.

"We'll make it." He snapped. "We've got to make it." He was behind the wheel of his car in seconds. "mother _fucker_ ," he snarled as he turned the key- for some reason, the action seemed to take hours instead of seconds. The car roared to life, and Eugene jumped into the passenger seat.

 _ **XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX**_

 _Winter Hall_

They were all asleep- save for Sakurako. She smiled as she cleaned up the mess left behind by the younger women. She looked up, eyes glinting, as she heard the wind's howl. A sneer twisted the woman's features, and her eyes glowed with power as she stared down the being outside the window. "You will leave. Now." She snarled.

 _For now, perhaps._

The disembodied voice sounded not out loud, but in her mind. _They will not always be with you. All I have to do is wait for the time they are out of your reach._ She snorted derisively.

"I do not have the inclination to deal with you, dark one." She hissed. "You will not touch them. Any of them."

 _I will, though… perhaps not now…. But sooner or later, they will come to me._

With that, it disappeared into the night. Sakurako snarled. "What… what was that, Sakurako-san?" she turned to face Izumi, who had woken up prematurely. She frowned at the young woman. "you… you heard that?" she asked softly.

Izumi just shrugged a shoulder. "It wasn't quiet. Mai, Masako and Anabelle heard it, too. They're asleep though."

"They are also mediums. So, Izumi, how did you hear it?"

Izumi shrugged again. "I don't know." She replied. "But I also saw the lightshow you just put on…. Are you like Mai and Anabelle?" Sakurako gave a start, her dark eyes went wide, and she all but jerked away. She hesitated for a few seconds before she sighed.

"I am." She confermed. "though I am older, more experienced… and I have different powers outside of my control over nature." She replied. Izumi yawned. "So… you put the barrier up, then?" she asked.

Sakurako's eyebrow shot up. "For someone who only is able to control a body's temperature, you _see_ quite a bit more than you should." She murmured. It was Izumi's turn to raise a brow, though hers came with a sardonic smirk.

"Really?" she asked. "That's what you're getting out of this? I never said that I was unaware of auras…. Or power surges at three in the morning while suffering from jet lag." She drawled. Sakurako laughed.

"I had no idea…" she murmured. Izumi just snorted.

"What was that?" Izumi's abrupt question took the housekeeper by surprise, and Sakurako just balked for a second. She considered the best answer before she spoke.

"It was…. another being. Not like Cassandra." She said, "But not a demon."

"So…not a vengeful spirit or a demon?"

"No. He is a different being altogether." Sakurako frowned. "He's been long in this world. Longer than they originally thought." She muttered that last part. "How did I miss that…?"

As she spoke, there was a pounding at the door… accompanied by Mai's groan of annoyance from behind them. She shuffled toward the door, looking like she'd just woken up- complete with the… shirt that she'd started wearing to bed. The housekeeper cleared her throat to get the young woman's attention, and Mai's sleepy golden eyes, large and half- lidded, met hers. She gave the half-drunk woman a grin.

"you might want to change that shirt, Mai-chan." She drawled. "Before you answer the door."

Mai looked down, frowning as she tried to process what the other woman was saying before she flushed, and jerked away from the door as if it had burned her. "Ohmygod," she gasped in one breath as she did. She looked furtively at the other woman, and then made a dash to her room. Chuckling, Sakurako made her way to the door, while Izumi just watched her friend run away in amusement.

"It's not like all of us don't know she's wearing those… I'm guessing they belong to Dr. Davis?" she asked. the Sakurako chortled.

"Yes… but just because the whole household knows about it, doesn't mean everyone you know does." She pointed out. Izumi grinned. "I think she looks cute." She said, as Sakurako opened the door. Oliver was the first one through the door, followed by his brother and the others. Takeshi looked at his aunt, eyes narrowed.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked,

"Why wouldn't we be?" came Kuroda's voice from the doorway to the sitting room. Like Mai, she'd managed to drunkenly put on some pajamas, though hers was a nightgown, it shared the same color as the dress shirt Mai had been wearing. Her black hair was out of its braid and in complete disarray, and her eyes dark behind skewed glasses that she'd obviously just shoved on. By her side, Yasu the fox yipped at the newcomers.

She yawned as she stumbled over to Sakurako, bleary and with an oddly docile grin. Takeshi froze at the sight, his eyes widening a fraction as the swaying- obviously drunk girl examined him. "Keshi-kun, what're you doing back?" she asked, giggling.

' _Keshi-kun?_ ' he thought dumbly. "Ah, Kuroda-san…."

"I though you went on a case without us, you meanie," her giggle morphed into a pout, and it downright terrified him. "You really… how much have you had to drink?" he asked she giggled again, her pout changing almost instantly. " _This_ many!" she laughed, holding up all ten fingers.

Takeshi turned toward his aunt. "Uh…"

"Don't look at me." She said. "I'm the housekeeper. Not the parent. They're all old enough." She said, before turning to the others. Oliver seemed to be one of the few- besides Lin- who was not at all put at ease over this whole show. "Tell me." She said quietly.

"The… thing… I don't know what it is… it latched onto Mai through me." He told her. "And through her, he found the others."

"What's that mean?" Kuroda asked, cocking her head to the side. Takeshi shook his head. She wouldn't understand anything until the morning. "I'm taking her to her room." He informed his aunt. Sakurako raised an eyebrow but waved him off. "At your own peril." She muttered. Takeshi snorted, as he steered the young woman out, hands on her shoulders.

Izumi smirked as the others pretended not to notice the fact that Kuroda's face had turned as red as a fire hydrant. The fun, however, was not yet over, she noted, as she saw Mai appear at the top of the staircase. She looked over at the team who had been sent out and a brow raised as she noticed something _else_ that was just as interesting as the ghost- or… being, in this case.

Dr. Davis' gaze had strayed to the stairs, where Mai was descending in a bathrobe. Her hair was still messy, and it was obvious to the housekeeper that she'd kept the shirt on. "What's going on?" she asked, picking the small fox up and carrying him with her.

"That is a wild animal, Mai." The young researcher stated.

Mai shrugged. "He's part of the family, now." She replied. "He can't live in the forest anymore. His leg was too damaged by the trap I found him in. Never mind about Yasu. What's going on?" she, at least, seemed to be sober, Oliver thought.

"You're being targeted." He told her succinctly. She blinked.

"Well, that's new. I get fair warning this time." she said dryly, though her gold eyes (still rather disconcerting to Oliver… he missed the cinnamon shade they used to be) glittered. She seemed… different. Usually- at least these days- she could not stand to be around him outside of the lab. For now, it seemed, she could stand him.

"Not quite. He's probably here, already." Finn said from the doorway. Izumi chuckled. "Nope. Sakurako scared him-or it, whatever it was- away." She countered.

"We're safe for now… so long as we stay in the boundary."

"Which will be hard for Mai, as she never does what she's told." Oliver muttered. At this, those gold eyes narrowed. She cocked her head to the side as she frowned at him. "I follow instructions quite well, Naru…. When they aren't stupid." She replied.

Naru.

She'd called him Naru… and again, his PK spiked. His eyes flashed with victory. That was three times, now. Something stopped him, then, and his eyes narrowed… examining her… enough to realize that her golden eyes were slightly glazed, much like Kuroda's had been….

Shit… she was drunk.

"And here I thought you were actually being the responsible one." He muttered. He turned to the housekeeper. "She drank as well, didn't she?" he asked.

"More than Kuroda…. Less than Ayako." The woman told him. "You'll have to explain all of this again… tomorrow. She'll never be able to remember.

Naru groaned, even as his brother snorted, relief coated his mind, though, and to be honest, so was he. They were safe. For the time being. The older woman had made sure of that, relieving the ghost hunters of _that_ stress, for now, at least.

The only thing they had to deal with now… was the _incredibly_ drunk bunch of women that were apparently scattered throughout the house.

* * *

 _ **Okay… again, sorry for the wait. I've been**_ **really** _ **busy with life in general, so I haven't had time to update, or really write anything in general. Thanks for sticking with it for so long. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, read and review (I'm looking at you, you 190 some favorites) really, more reviews get me hyped.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading. AOP**_


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